On Thursday, Ukraine officially opened its embassy in Ivory Coast, following the inauguration of another embassy in the Democratic Republic of Congo the day before.
This move is part of Kyiv’s efforts to expand its footprint in Africa as a strategic counterbalance to Moscow’s influence.
Deputy Foreign Minister Maksym Subkh expressed optimism, describing it as the beginning of a promising chapter in the relations between Ukraine and Africa, specifically Ukraine and Ivory Coast.
The establishment of these new embassies follows the “directives of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to expand Ukraine’s diplomatic footprint in Africa,” Subkh emphasised.
He inaugurated Kyiv’s embassy in Kinshasa on Wednesday, with further plans to open additional representations across Africa to enhance support, according to DR Congo’s foreign ministry as reported by AFP.
Subkh is scheduled to visit Ghana, Mozambique, Botswana, and Rwanda in the coming weeks to inaugurate embassies, as confirmed by a representative of the new embassy in Abidjan to AFP.
“At first glance, this war may appear distant. However, the alarming surge in food prices has already adversely affected the livelihoods of countless African families,” Subkh remarked during the embassy’s inauguration in the diplomatic enclave of Ivory Coast’s economic hub.
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