15 March 2021, Monday, 17:53 149

Zelenskyy Provides For Functioning Of Foreign Embassies Of Ukraine From Kyiv In Online Format - Foreign Ministry

Редактор: Daria Zubkova

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has provided for the possibility of the functioning of the foreign embassies of Ukraine from Kyiv in an online format.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said this in a statement, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

On March 15, the head of state signed decree No. 99 On the Regulation on Foreign Diplomatic Institutions of Ukraine, which defines the tasks, status and functions of Ukrainian embassies and missions abroad.

According to the document, foreign diplomatic institutions of Ukraine are: embassies; embassies with the residence of the ambassador in Kyiv; permanent representation at an international organization; representation at an international organization; mission to an international organization; consular offices (consulate general, consulate, vice consulate and consular agency).

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that one of the key innovations of the decree is the creation of a new format of ambassadors with a residence in Kyiv.

"From now on, we will be able to create Ukrainian embassies abroad with a residence in Kyiv. That is, the embassy is physically located in Ukraine and ensures the presence of our state in a foreign country remotely. In the era of total online, such an institution can perform almost all the same functions as a physically located in host country," said Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

According to him, this format of a remote diplomatic presence is successfully functioning in many foreign countries, in particular of the European Union.

The minister assures that this and other innovations will optimize management and make embassies more mobile, efficient and cost-effective for taxpayers.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, Zelenskyy is considering the candidacies of 11 ambassadors of Ukraine to foreign states, while three positions of heads of Ukrainian embassies abroad remain vacant.

At the same time, Ukraine intends to open three new embassies in the world in the near future.