Head of state accepts credentials from ambassadors of Norway, Switzerland, Azerbaijan, Pakistan and Iceland
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accepted credentials from Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway Helene Sand Andresen, Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation Félix Baumann, Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan Seymur Mardaliyev, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Nadir Khan, and Ambassador of Iceland Hannes Heimisson, who are starting their diplomatic missions in our country.
The ceremony of presenting the credentials traditionally took place on the territory of the Sophia Kyivska National Reserve.
Accepting credentials from Ambassador of Norway Helena Sand Andresen, the President welcomed her to Ukraine and wished her fruitful work as the head of the diplomatic mission.
"This work will be a certain challenge because Ukraine is at war for its independence. But we are happy that the people and government of Norway – the Prime Minister, his team, parliamentarians – are on the side of the truth. And I am extremely grateful that you support democracy and, of course, the Ukrainian people," Zelenskyy said.
The President expressed gratitude to Norway for Ukraine's support. He thanked the Norwegian side for providing comprehensive defense, financial and humanitarian assistance, as well as the Norwegian government's approval of a separate five-year aid programme for Ukraine worth about EUR 7 billion.
"This is leadership support. And an example of long-term aid for other states," Zelenskyy said.
The head of state noted the importance of defense assistance provided to Ukraine by the Norwegian side, and highly appreciated Norway's readiness to join the coalition of fighters in support of our country.
The President expressed hope for active support from Norway for specific progress on the path of Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration, provision of effective security guarantees to our country at the Vilnius NATO Summit, as well as participation in the Global Peace Summit.
Speaking to Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation Félix Baumann, Zelenskyy said that our state feels the support of Switzerland.
He recalled that the first Ukraine Recovery Conference was held in the Swiss city of Lugano. Today, the third conference devoted to Ukraine's recovery is underway in London.
"We are very grateful for such a successful start to this challenging recovery project. Of course, we have many challenges ahead of us, but we are grateful to you for the assistance we have received," the Head of State said.
Zelenskyy thanked the President, the Parliament, and the entire people of Switzerland for their support for Ukraine, in particular, for the provision of humanitarian and financial aid, as well as for the shelter for Ukrainians fleeing the war unleashed by Russia. He highly appreciated the political and practical assistance that Switzerland has provided to Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion.
"It is important that Switzerland, despite its neutral status, does not stand aside and supports us in the defense of our statehood, freedom, and democracy," the Head of State said.
Zelenskyy invited Switzerland to participate in the implementation of specific points of the Ukrainian Peace Formula and in the Global Peace Summit.
According to the President, the priority areas of bilateral cooperation are interaction with respect to Ukraine's reconstruction and recovery, as well as humanitarian demining.
He expressed hope for the implementation of relevant initiatives in the Swiss parliament, aimed at making changes to the legislation, which would open the way for Ukraine to receive Swiss defense goods.
Congratulating Ambassador of Azerbaijan Seymur Mardaliyev on the beginning of the diplomatic mission in our country, the Head of State thanked for supporting Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Zelenskyy conveyed his warmest congratulations to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and said that their recent meeting in Chisinau was fruitful, as it was possible to discuss many issues of mutual interest. In particular, it was agreed on the participation of this country in the reconstruction of the city of Irpin.
"Our teams are already working on the implementation of this agreement. This will be a concrete contribution to Ukraine's post-war reconstruction," the Head of State said.
The President of Ukraine also thanked for the warm reception of Ukrainians, fleeing from Russian aggression, in Azerbaijan.
He also expressed gratitude for the humanitarian assistance provided by Azerbaijan in overcoming the consequences of Russia's armed aggression, in particular, the man-made disaster at the Kakhovka HPP caused by the Russian Federation. Zelenskyy expressed hope for Azerbaijan's active involvement in the implementation of the Ukrainian Peace Formula and participation in the Global Peace Summit.
The President invited Azerbaijani businesses to join the implementation of infrastructure and energy projects in Ukraine right now.
Accepting credentials from Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Nadir Khan, the Head of State expressed his belief in the need for further stepping up mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries and thanked Pakistan for the humanitarian aid provided to the Ukrainian people.
"I want to thank your country for supporting Ukraine in such difficult and challenging times, as well as for supporting our territorial integrity," the President said.
Zelenskyy briefed the ambassador on the key international initiatives of our state, in particular, the Peace Formula, the Black Sea Grain Initiative, and the Grain from Ukraine global humanitarian program.
"Ukraine remains a reliable guarantor of global food security. We are ready to take an active part in ensuring Pakistan's food security," the Head of State said.
Meeting Ambassador of Iceland Hannes Heimisson, the President thanked Iceland for its steadfast support of Ukraine at the bilateral level and within international organizations.
"Thank you for supporting Ukraine, our territorial integrity and sovereignty. Thank you also for Iceland's support of the Ukrainian Peace Formula," the President said.
Zelenskyy congratulated Iceland on its successful Chairmanship of the Council of Europe and the recent summit of this organization in Reykjavík, one of the results of which was the creation of a register of damage caused by Russian aggression against Ukraine.
The head of state emphasized the importance of Iceland's effective support for Ukraine's path towards Euro-Atlantic integration, which is especially important on the eve of the NATO summit in Vilnius.
Zelenskyy separately noted Iceland's recent decision to close its embassy in Moscow, which became an eloquent signal of solidarity with our country in the fight against the aggressor.