Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleva has urged African countries to renounce neutrality in the year-and-a-half-year war in Ukraine.
According to AP on the 24th (local time), Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleva said in a speech in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, that “it is very inconvenient for (Ukraine) to choose to abstain from some African countries” and requested diplomatic support for Ukraine. .
At the UN General Assembly condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, some African countries refused to take sides by abstaining from voting. Ethiopia is also one of the countries that abstained.
“Neutrality is not the answer,” said Foreign Minister Kuleba.
He also asked African countries to support the 10 items for peace proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in December of last year.
Minister Kuleba appealed, “We need to rethink the importance of each other.” He explained that Ukraine hopes to establish mutually beneficial relations with Africa based on trade in energy, technology and pharmaceuticals.
Currently, Minister Kuleba is working on an African schedule, including visits to Morocco and Rwanda. During his visit to Ethiopia, he met with the Prime Minister, the President of the African Union Commission, and the President of Comoros.
Meanwhile, thanks to the activities of the Russian mercenary Wagner Group, Russia has established a significant presence in Africa. In July, Russia will also host an Afro-Russian summit.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has also been active in cracking down on relations with African countries since the outbreak of war in February last year. Foreign Minister Lavrov, who visited the African continent once in 2021, has visited Africa at least twice in five months this year.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.