Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ukraine)

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
of Ukraine
Міністерство закордонних справ України

Ministerial logo
Agency overview
Preceding Agency Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
Headquarters No.3 Mykhailiv Square, Kiev, Ukraine
Employees 2,000+[1]
Agency executive Pavlo Klimkin[2][3]
Parent agency Cabinet of Ministers
Website www.mfa.gov.ua
The current Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, built as part of a government complex, to be located on the territory of the former St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery. Only one of the buildings was constructed (pictured).
The main building of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in historic central Kiev
Alternative logo (Ukrainian version, abbreviation MZS)

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Міністерство закордонних справ України) is the Ukrainian government ministry which oversees the foreign relations of Ukraine.

Historical overlook

Originally the Ministry was established as the General Secretariat of Nationalities as part of the General Secretariat of Ukraine and was headed by the federalist Serhiy Yefremov. Due to the Soviet intervention the office was reformed into a ministry on December 22, 1917. About the same time another government was formed, the Soviet, that proclaimed the Ukrainian government to be counter-revolutionary. The Ukrainian Soviet government also reorganized its office on March 1, 1918. In 1923 the office was liquidated by the government of Soviet Union and reinstated in 1944, twenty years later. The first Soviet representatives were not much of a notice until the appointment of the Bulgarian native Christian Rakovsky in 1919.

General overview

The ministry is located in Ukraine's capital Kiev in the city's historic uppertown district, located in close proximity to the recently rebuilt St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery. The building of the ministry is also located on the Mykhailiv Square, named for the monastery and next to the park "Volodymyr's Mount".

The nomination of the Foreign Minister is done by the President of Ukraine, unlike most nominations of Cabinet Minister which are done by the Prime Minister of Ukraine. All minister nominations have to be approved by the Ukrainian Parliament.[4] Pavlo Klimkin[2] is the current Minister.

Office of National Commission of Ukraine For UNESCO

Ukraine is the UNESCO member since May 12, 1954.[5] From December 1962 Ukraine had established its permanent representation in the organization currently served by the Ambassador of Ukraine to France. The National Commission of Ukraine for UNESCO was created as part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by the Presidential decree #212/1996 on March 26, 1996. By the Presidential decree #32/2011 issued on January 14, 2011[6] the Head of the National Commission of Ukraine for UNESCO was appointed Ruslan Mykhailovych Demchenko, the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. Ruslan Demchenko changed on that post V.Khandohiy.

The permanent representative of Ukraine to UNESCO is the Ambassador to France Kostyantyn Volodymyrovych Tymoshenko.[7]

Ukraine has about 14 academic departments that cooperate with the mission of UNESCO[8] as well as 63 schools associated with the organization.[9]

List of Ministers

Officials before 1924

General Secretary of Nationalities (June 28 - December 22, 1917)
People's Secretary of Nationalities (December 14, 1917 - March 1, 1918)
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (December 22, 1917 - May 1920)
People's Secretaries of Foreign Affairs (March 1, 1918 - July 1923)
State Secretaries of Foreign Affairs of Western Ukraine (November 1918 - February 1923)

Officials after World War II

People's Commissars of Foreign Affairs
Ministers of Foreign Affairs
Ministers of Foreign Affairs (post-Soviet)
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry chats with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Deshchytsia before the two joined with Russian and European Union officials for four-way talks about Ukraine in Geneva, Switzerland, on April 17, 2014.

See also

References

External links