Ukraine plans foreign minister's Philippine visit, embassy opening
MANILA, Philippines — Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is expected to visit the Philippines later this year, sometime between June or July, Ukraine Embassy in Malaysia Counsellor Denys Mykhailiuk said.
Mykhailiuk is wrapping up a four-day visit to Manila on Wednesday that has included meetings with officials from the Department of Information and Communications Technology, Department of National Defense, and the Department of Foreign Affairs.
"We are looking also to have a visit of our foreign minister later this year. If the budget will allow, he might open the embassy here," he said during a press conference.
If there aren't enough funds to open an embassy, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba will introduce the potential resident ambassador to the Philippines.
There is no exact date when the Embassy of Ukraine in the Philippines will open. But all the "preliminary needs" to establish the foreign service post have been met and so everyone is hoping that the embassy will open "any time soon," Mykhailiuk said.
"The only obstacle is the budget restrictions. Most our unexpected spendings of this year, majority of them are going into the defense so we do hope that [the opening of the embassy] will be happening before the end of this year," he said.
Ukraine seeks international support
The Philippines remains a "priority country in [the] ASEAN region" for Ukraine when it comes to economic cooperation and bilateral trade relations. Prior to the war, trade growth was in double-digits, but that has since tanked by 94%.
Some of the proposed ways for cooperation is for the Philippines to adapt Ukraine’s eGovernance platform, among other digital platforms.
Over a year since Russia invaded Ukraine, its envoy says they are still trying to reach out to the international community to ensure that atrocities done to them are not forgetten. Mykhailiuk said they will welcome any form of humanitarian assistance or ammunitions deployment from the Philippines.
Meanwhile, Ukraine is also asking other countries for support for its call to ban Russia from international competitions, specifically sports competitions as Ukraine’s envoy claims most of Russia’s athletes are also part of the military. Mykhailiuk said they are expecting a decision from the International Olympic Committee soon.
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