On Wednesday, October 23, in Oman’s capital Muscat, foreign ministers of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha and of Oman Badr bin Hamad Albusaidi took part in the opening ceremony of a new diplomatic mission, the Embassy of Ukraine in the Sultanate of Oman.

The presence of Omani Minister of Foreign Affairs at the opening ceremony was a sign of special respect for our State.

The ceremony was also attended by representatives of the foreign diplomatic corps in Muscat, Omani officials and the Ukrainian community of Oman.

The Embassy of Ukraine in Oman has become the eighth newly opened foreign diplomatic mission in the wave of the expansion of Ukraine's diplomatic presence in Africa and Middle East since 2022.

As part of this large-scale wave of expansion of Ukraine's diplomatic presence, diplomatic missions have already been set up in Botswana, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Mauritania, Mozambique and Rwanda.

In his speech, Minister Andrii Sybiha emphasized that the opening of new embassies in countries of Africa and Middle East is part of a comprehensive foreign policy approach to enhance Ukraine's relations with the so-called “Global South” countries.

The Minister expressed gratitude to his Omani colleague Badr Albusaidi for warm reception and fruitful negotiations. He also expressed appreciation to his Majesty the Sultan of Oman and Omani officials for their assistance in opening the Ukrainian diplomatic mission.

The head of Ukraine's Foreign Ministry emphasized significant prospects for the development of cooperation between the two countries in trade, investment, energy, technology and other areas. He also noted the importance of cooperation between the two countries in promoting the Peace Formula.

The Minister expressed his conviction that the launch of Ukrainian diplomatic mission in Muscat will bring bilateral relations between Ukraine and Oman to a qualitatively new level.

Andrii Sybiha stressed the strategic importance of the Sultanate of Oman for Ukraine in view of Oman’s geographical location, its critical role in energy supply chains, position on global energy market as a member of OPEC, the high potential for supplying Ukrainian food products to East African countries, and its status of a powerful stakeholder in the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf.

During the opening ceremony, Andrii Sybiha held a separate meeting with the Ukrainian community of Oman. He expressed gratitude to his compatriots for supporting Ukraine, preserving Ukrainian identity, in particular raising children with respect for the Ukrainian language and culture, and assured them of Ukraine's eagerness to work out a new policy regarding Ukrainians abroad.