The First Vice-Speaker Oleksandr Korniienko received a medal for support of Ukrainian diplomacy on the occasion of the Day of Diplomatic Service
"It is an honour for me to receive a medal for supporting Ukrainian diplomacy on the occasion of the Day of Diplomatic Service, in particular, for my work in the direction of Africa," First Vice Speaker Oleksandr Korniienko said, expressing gratitude to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine for recognising his contribution to Ukraine's diplomatic victories.
At the same time, he noted that he is not a professional diplomat, but the circumstances in which the russian federation has been putting everyone over the past ten years require that he learn new professions. In particular, over the past 667 days since the full-scale invasion, Oleksandr Korniienko has made more than 30 business trips and held more than 200 meetings with his counterparts, parliamentary leaders and ministers. "Parliamentary diplomacy is only one of the areas, and diplomacy works in a comprehensive manner – from the country's Chief Diplomat, the President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andrii Yermak, the Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and the Minister of Foreign Affairs," he said, adding that the area of parliamentary diplomacy is an opportunity to establish contacts and convey the truth about Ukraine to elected representatives of different countries, and thus to the societies of these countries.
In addition, Oleksandr Korniienko said that during the event, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi outlined the goals for the next year. Among the priorities are, in particular, strengthening defence support for Ukraine, active cooperation with the European Union, sanctions against the aggressor and the development of defence production.
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal and Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba also congratulated diplomats on their professional holiday.
In conclusion, the First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine expressed his gratitude to Ukrainian diplomats for their powerful work, stressing that they demonstrate that nothing is impossible.