Dear Colleagues! Dear Friends!
On December 22, 2012 Ukraine celebrated the 95th Anniversary of Its diplomatic service. Establishment of Ukraine's modern foreign service is connected to the creation of independent state and proclamation of the 1st Universal of the Ukrainian Central Council on June 10, 1917. The General Secretariat of International Affairs became a predecessor of the first Ukrainian foreign service of the Twentieth century. On December 22, 1917 the Law on Establishment of the General Secretariat of Foreign Affairs was approved.
At that time the Government of Ukraine initiated work on establishment of a network of diplomatic and consular missions. In December 1917 the Ukrainian government established ties with the Entente countries by receiving representatives of France and Great Britain. The Ukrainian State sent its diplomatic missions to Romania, Finland, Switzerland, Sweden (a total of 10 states), and received more than two dozens of plenipotentiary representatives.
The situation changed when the Union of Soviet Socialistic Republics was established in December 1922. All foreign political, economic and trade ties of Ukraine soon fell within the competence of the USRR center. At the same time, due to emphatic efforts of Ukrainian leaders of that time, Ukrainian representatives, appointed by the government of the USRR and later on, worked at Soviet embassies from 1923 until 1936.
Ukraine's international action in 1944 - 1990 was mostly concentrated at the UN participation. Ukraine, as a UN Charter member, participated in its elaboration, as well as in formation of its structure, bodies and authorities. Since 1945 Ukraine is a member of International Court of Justice, World Health Organization (1946), Universal Postal Union (1947), World Meteorological Organizations (1948), International Labor Organization (1954), UNESCO (1954), Economic Commission for Europe (1956) and IAEA (1957). The USRR and Ukraine was elected as a non-permanent UN Security Council Member three times (in 1948/49, 1984/85 and 2000/01).
The evidence of the high professionalism of the Ukrainian diplomats is the fact that Ukrainian representatives took high posts at the UN and other international organizations. Many Ukrainian diplomats worked at various posts at UN Secretariat and working bodies of other international organizations.
Thus, D. Manuilsky was elected the Chairman of UN Security Council in 1948/49, P.Nedbaylo was the First Vice President of 21st Session of UN Human Rights Committee in 1965, G. Shevel was the Vice President of UN General Assembly in 1970, V. Martynenko was the Vice President of 36th Session of UN General Assembly in 1981, V.Kravets was the Chairman of UN Security Council in 1984 and G. Udovenko was the Chairman of UN Security Council in 1985, Yu.Kochubey was the Deputy to UNESCO Director General in 1987-1992.
A new era of development of national foreign policy agency started on July 16, 1990, when the Verkhovna Rada of the USRR adopted the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine.
Nowadays the result of successfulness of the Ukrainian diplomacy is proved by the validation of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, chairmanship in the Central European Initiative in 2012 as well as chairmanship in the OSCE in 2013.
One of the latest important events in the Ukrainian diplomatic life is the appointment of a new Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Leonid Kozhara, who has a huge experience of the political and diplomatic activity and occupied the keys posts in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as Secretary of the President of Ukraine, was the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Ukraine to Sweden.