The Special Envoy of the Ukrainian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Special Representative of Ukraine for the Middle East and Africa, Maksym Subkh, hopes to strengthen cooperation between his country and the DRC due to the opening of the Embassy in the Congolese capital.

On the occasion of the embassy's opening on Wednesday, April 10, in Kinshasa, he stated: "Today, we are opening the Ukrainian embassy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I am convinced that this extraordinary event, just like the opening of the Honorary Consulate of the DRC last month in the Ukrainian city of Uzhhorod, will contribute to bringing our two countries closer together."

For Maksym Subkh, this rapprochement should also extend to the implementation of a number of mutually beneficial projects and initiatives, particularly in the fields of trade, agriculture, industry, energy, education, and information technology.

He further specified: "The opening of the Ukrainian embassy in Kinshasa is the result of the successful implementation of the directives of the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky aimed at expanding Ukraine's diplomatic presence in Africa, before noting: "Diplomatic relations between Kiev and Kinshasa were established in 1999, but recently, constructive cooperation between the two countries on the international scene has intensified."

He added: "A phone conversation between the leaders of Ukraine and the DRC, Volodymyr Zelensky and Félix Antoine Tshisekedi, in August 2022, gave a significant boost to the development of cooperation."

The Special Envoy of the Ukrainian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Special Representative for the Middle East and Africa also recalled: "Our national contingent, including the 18th separate helicopter squadron, was an important element of the United Nations Mission for the stabilization of the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO)."

Speaking on behalf of the Deputy Prime Minister in charge of Foreign Affairs Christophe Lundula, Ms. Fanny Tshiala from the Europe Directorate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed: "The DRC and Ukraine have established diplomatic relations since April 13, 1999, through the signing of a joint communiqué between the permanent representatives of Ukraine and the DRC to the United Nations." Since then, she continued, "these relations have remained strong and have materialized through the signing of several agreements."

Boni Tsala