The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk congratulated the employees of the diplomatic service of Ukraine on their professional holiday
On the occasion of the Day of Diplomatic Service, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi, the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal and the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk personally expressed their gratitude to Ukrainian diplomats for their work.
"Today, on the Day of the Diplomatic Service of Ukraine, on behalf of all our people, the entire society of Ukraine, I thank you – the entire Ukrainian diplomatic community – for your work in the interests of the state of Ukraine, in the interests of our people. Everyone knows the result. And everyone who is effective for the sake of Ukraine. Everyone who adds strength to Ukraine every day. Everyone whose ideas have worked and whose energy opens up new prospects for Ukraine. Whether in the diplomatic service system or outside the system, but Ukrainian representatives, our missions – I thank you all!" The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi said in his address to Ukrainian diplomats. He also noted that this year, in the international sphere, Ukraine has achieved things that seemed almost unattainable at the beginning of the year, and the main political result of the year is the start of negotiations on our country's membership in the European Union.
For his part, the Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine emphasised the role of Ukrainian diplomacy.
"What Ukrainian diplomacy is doing, especially now, in times of full-scale invasion, will be included in diplomatic books," said the Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine, adding that he was proud of the synergy of actions of all branches of government aimed at achieving quick and necessary results in the international arena. Ruslan Stefanchuk expressed his gratitude for the level of inter-parliamentary diplomacy that Ukraine has thanks to the support of Ukrainian diplomats, which has become an example for many other parliaments around the world.
He noted that joint efforts have helped to ensure that the international community is united in defending Ukraine: "We have united other countries around providing financial, humanitarian and defence support to Ukraine."
"The European Union has made a political decision to open negotiations with Ukraine. And this is certainly an important achievement of our diplomacy and the result of the coordinated work of all branches of government," stressed Ruslan Stefanchuk, noting that the reduction of the distance between Ukraine and NATO is also the result of tremendous work. "The Ukrainian army is a de facto NATO army, as it performs three main functions: fighting with NATO weapons, according to NATO standards and protecting NATO countries on their eastern flank," he stressed.
"What Ukraine is doing today is unprecedented in the system of world associations," said the Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine, adding that this is a great relay race, where the one who mobilises its forces to the maximum and demonstrates a real desire to become part of this community will win. He noted that Ukraine's next goal is to define the framework for negotiations.
In addition, Ruslan Stefanchuk said that thanks to diplomatic work, the circle of partners who recognised the Holodomor of 1932-1933 as genocide of the Ukrainian people had been expanded. At the same time, the world continues to unite around the President Volodymyr Zelenskyi's Peace Formula, and countries are uniting their efforts around the Crimean Platform.
"This is not the whole list of Ukraine's diplomatic achievements. And I thank everyone who fights for the world to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine," the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine said in conclusion.
Ruslan Stefanchuk also awarded the employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine with Certificates of Honour and Diplomas of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, as well as with the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine's Commendations.