Olexandr Mischenko held a working meeting with ambassadors from the Central Asian countries
On November 12 Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Oleksandr Mishchenko held a working meeting with the ambassadors of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan in Ukraine. The main topic of discussion was cooperation within the framework of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the joint efforts of the international community aimed at holding the Russian Federation accountable for gross and systematic violations of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).
Ukraine has officially nominated its candidacy for the OPCW Executive Council for the 2026–2028 term from the Eastern European Group. In this context, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Oleksandr Mishchenko called on partners from the Central Asian countries to support the trio of states agreed upon by the Eastern European Group—Ukraine, Slovakia, and Slovenia. These countries share common responsibility, unity of approaches, and commitment to the goals of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which will contribute to further strengthening the OPCW’s authority and effectiveness.
Ukraine consistently cooperates with the OPCW to document and prove the facts of Russia’s use of hazardous chemical substances during its armed aggression against our state. These violations have been confirmed by three reports from the OPCW Technical Secretariat, as well as a Joint Statement by 59 States Parties to the Convention. Such activity is an important component of the international community’s efforts to strengthen the non-proliferation regime of chemical weapons and ensure accountability for their use.
The parties of the meeting emphasized that a state that systematically violates the Convention does not have the moral right to hold a seat on the OPCW Executive Council. Russia’s presence in the Organization’s governing body would undermine its impartiality, objectivity, and effectiveness. Therefore, the unity of the international community that twice prevented the election of the Russian Federation to the OPCW Executive Council is very important. This result is a convincing testimony to the further isolation of the aggressor state.
On this occasion, the Deputy Minister informed foreign diplomats about the creation within the structure of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine of a separate Central Asia Division, which signifies the readiness of the Ukrainian side to intensify mutually beneficial cooperation with the countries of the region in many areas of mutual interest.
Oleksandr Mishchenko outlined the current range of issues and future prospects for building dialogue between Ukraine and the Central Asian states, emphasizing the Ukrainian side’s readiness for more active work of bilateral bodies and working groups, holding political consultations at the level of foreign ministries of the countries, intensifying cooperation along parliamentary lines, restoring cooperation among twin cities, and cooperation in defense and security taking into account common challenges and threats.