At the annual meeting of heads of Ukraine's foreign diplomatic missions, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha announced a number of changes that will affect the diplomatic service.
According to the Ministry's website, new embassies and consulates will be opened.
Among the innovations:
- 40 more diplomatic institutions will be connected to the system of authorised notaries. These include institutions in European countries with the largest number of Ukrainian citizens. This brings the total number of institutions connected to the system to 80. “By the end of August, we plan to connect all Ukrainian diplomatic missions to this system,” Sybiha said.
- will develop relations with Ukrainian communities abroad, using the opportunities provided by the law on multiple citizenship
- further simplifying access to consular services;
- opening four more embassies by the end of 2025 - in the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Panama and Uruguay.
- reducing Ukraine's diplomatic presence in Cuba. The freed-up resources will be used to strengthen Ukraine's presence in the region;
- there are plans to open more than 10 new consular offices by the end of this year - in Romania, Iraq, Italy, Germany, Slovakia, and two each in France and Poland;
- the status of Ukraine's consulates in Antalya and Gdansk will be upgraded to consulates general;
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the first time initiated and prepared Ukraine's strategy for the Arctic, Antarctic and Oceans;
- launching a new format of cooperation between Ukraine and Benelux. The format will unite Ukraine with Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. The first ministerial meeting in the new format will take place in the near future.
- introduction of the post of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to UNESCO.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also approved a manual on digital visual communications.
Sybiha said that on the sidelines of the ambassadorial meeting, a number of memoranda and documents were planned to be signed to expand the network of partnerships.
- On the same day, it became known that Volodymyr Zelenskyy had appointed 16 ambassadors.
- At the meeting, the head of state also announced priorities for Ukrainian diplomats.