Dmytro Kuleba Outlines Ukraine’s Ten Major Diplomatic Achievements in 2021

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba presented the main achievements of Ukrainian diplomacy in 2021.

“It has been a good year for Ukrainian diplomacy. On the one hand, a year of great threats and challenges, on the other, a year of great initiatives and achievements,” the minister stated.

Ten major diplomatic achievements:

1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs created Ukraine’s first comprehensive Foreign Policy Strategy over 30 years of independence. For the first time, the strategy structured Ukrainian foreign policy, brought it to a new level, and made it proactive.
2. On 23 August, the inaugural summit of the Crimea Platform was held in Kyiv with the participation of 46 countries and international organisations.
3. In 2021, an unprecedented close dialogue at the highest and high levels with the new U.S.administration was established. Our countries concluded more than two dozen bilateral agreements, including a framework agreement on the strategic foundations of the defence partnership.
4. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs worked actively towards promoting exports and attracting foreign investment as one of the priorities of the Foreign Policy Strategy. This year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection, opened or restored access to foreign markets for 81 groups of Ukrainian goods in 21 countries. More than 200 Ukrainian companies launched exports or opened offices abroad with the assistance of Ukrainian embassies.
5. Ukrainian diplomacy paid special attention to the development of military-technical cooperation. The diplomats worked hard to strengthen the Ukrainian army, attracting new weapons, new technologies, additional equipment, weapons, funds, training, and education.
6. Demonstrating regional leadership, a trilateral format of enhanced cooperation between Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova on European integration – the Association Trio – was launched in Kyiv this year. It became one of Ukraine’s new, regional alliances in line with its Foreign Policy Strategy.
7. In the context of Russia‘s continued aggravation of the security situation along Ukraine’s border and in the temporarily occupied territories of Donbas and Crimea, diplomats managed to consolidate a global coalition in support of Ukraine and, most importantly, initiate a comprehensive deterrence package that includes political and security support for Ukraine and the development of tough sanctions against the aggressor state in case of further escalation.
8. Two unprecedented operations — unprecedented in scale and scope of humanitarian efforts — were held this year, with about 1,000 people evacuated from Afghanistan and the Gaza Strip. A total of 37 Ukrainians were released from captivity abroad, and six sailors were released from pirate captivity. Thanks to the efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, five Ukrainian families returned from Syrian refugee camps.
9. Thanks to the dialogue with the EU, Ukrainian citizens were able to travel to most EU Member States for tourism purposes, even though our country was excluded from the EU’s “safe list” in the autumn.
10. This year, the first Kyiv Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen was successfully held, and 24 Ukrainian-language audio guides were launched in the world’s leading museums and on popular tourist routes in 21 countries. Strengthening Ukraine’s positive image in the world is also one of the top priorities of Ukraine’s Foreign Policy Strategy and the activity of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Thanks to teamwork, Ukraine won a lawsuit in Amsterdam court, which ruled on the return of the Scythian gold collection. After 13 years of negotiations, the Constitution of Pylyp Orlyk was brought to Ukraine for the first time. At the end of the year, the traditional Crimean Tatar Ornament Örnek was included in the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Natalia Tolub