First-ever Ukraine-Africa Summit planned for this year
War-torn Ukraine plans to hold the first Ukraine-Africa Summit this year in addition to establishing new embassies in different parts of the continent, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has told African leaders
Speaking May 25th on Africa Day during the 60th Anniversary commemoration of the establishment of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the precursor of the African Union (AU), Kuleba invited the leaders of African countries “to take part in this important event” (Ukraine-Africa Summit).
He said that Ukraine is currently reinvigorating its foreign policy towards Africa aimed at a “Ukrainian-African renaissance” and has recently adopted its first African strategy as well as intensified “our political dialogue with many countries” on the continent.
“We want to develop a new quality of partnership based on three mutual principles: mutual respect, mutual interests, and mutual benefits”, said Kuleba who was visiting Africa for the second time in less than a year.
This explains why Ukraine is also calingl for a more representative and democratic United Nations Security Council in which Africa, like all other world regions, will be represented. “Ukraine also supports the idea of the African Union becoming a permanent member of the G20”, Kuleba intimated.
Kuleba said that Ukraine and Africa share deep historical ties, adding that they have always shared and supported the aspirations of African nations towards independence, unity, and progress.
He insisted that as a co-founder of the United Nations, Ukraine has consistently defended and promoted the interests of African nations within the UN and that over many decades, Ukrainian specialists from various fields helped construct hundreds of infrastructure facilities such as processing plants, hydroelectric power stations, ports, bridges, roads, hospitals, and schools, in dozens of African countries.
According to the foreign minister, Ukraine has also been proud to host thousands of African students, many of whom have become prominent political, business, and social leaders in their nations. “We will be happy to welcome more young Africans who want to study and work in Ukraine,” Kuleba said, extending a hand of friendship to Africa.
Delving on history, Kuleba emphasised that their support has also extended to “brave fighters” of African national liberation movements, many of who were trained on Ukrainian soil.
“From 1965 to the 1980s, many of them were trained in Ukraine for the needs of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde, the South West Africa People's Organiaation in Namibia, the Zimbabwe
African People's Union, the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola, the Liberation Front of Mozambique, and the African National Congress in South Africa.
“This is our shared history. We are proud of it and won’t let anyone steal this common past from us”, Kuleba said, in reference to what many in Ukraine say is Russia’s usurpation of the history of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).
The foreign minister added that Ukraine has always been committed to maintaining peace in Africa and has significantly contributed to relevant global efforts. He said that more than 300 Ukrainian blue helmets performed tasks within four UN missions in Africa: in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Abyei Area, and Mali.
“Ukrainian sailors have participated in international collective actions to counter maritime piracy off the coast of Somalia. As of February 2022, 80% of Ukrainian peacekeepers abroad were deployed in African countries”, he said.
Even during this dark time of war, he said that Ukraine spares no effort to maintain its role as a “food security guarantor for Africa” and many other regions of the world.
He said that despite Russia’s naval blockade of “our sea ports, we have managed to partially unblock” Ukrainian exports with the help of the UN and Turkiye. They have also “actively defended the initiative from Russian attempts to ruin it ever since. Its latest extension was a sign of relief both for our farmers and our customers abroad, including in Africa”, he said.
He said that within the initiative, an overall of 123 ships with more than 3 million tonnes of agricultural products have already been sent to the countries in Africa: Ethiopia, Libya, Morocco, Egypt, Kenya, Sudan, Tunisia, Somalia, and Algeria. “We are also providing humanitarian aid under President Zelenskyy’s ‘Grain from Ukraine’ programme. We have already sent six (6) ships with a cargo of 170 thousand tonnes of wheat to Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Yemen within this programme.
“More ships are being prepared. No family in Africa should suffer because of Russia’s war against Ukraine,” Kuleba said.