Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba stated this during a speech at the University of Pretoria as part of his visit to the Republic of South Africa.

"We want to restore the relationship that we had - the relationship that we lost at the end of the 90s due to the immersion in our own internal problems and the need to focus on our return to Europe, to which we belong in geographical, historical and cultural terms," the Minister said.

Dmytro Kuleba emphasized the importance to maintain stable foreign policy contacts in order to preserve close relations between the countries.

"There should be no interruptions in relations between countries, as well as between people, because countries in their essence are very similar to people: they have their own prejudices, principles, fears, ambitions and miscalculations of their ambitions. But the first lesson to be learned is that any break in diplomacy significantly increases the price of returning to it," he said.

During his address, Dmytro Kuleba defined the challenges of the modern world, which contemporary diplomacy faces with. One of them is the concept of "double standards".

"War is a test of what you believe. And if you were sincere and honest before the war when you said that international law matters and that the territorial integrity and sovereignty of each country must be respected, then the time of the test would come when you would have to keep your words. And this is the most difficult part of diplomacy — to maintain honesty", the Head of the MFA noted.

Among today's challenges, the Minister singled out one of the key and fundamental narratives of Russian propaganda - the division into the so-called "West" and "Global South". According to the Head of the Ministry, such a division is false.

"Would it be fair to say, for example, regarding Africa, that there is unanimity among African countries on all key issues of international affairs, including Russian aggression against Ukraine? No. The way you vote and how you maintain relations with Ukraine or Russia shows that each country is special," the Minister addressed the audience.

The Minister stated that each country deserves an individual treatment, and not to be lumped under the common denominator of the "Global South", "West" or "North".

"There is such a cliché that the world is becoming fragmented and polarized. It is true that the world is becoming a dangerous place to live in, but we must live in it, and we will live in it. We must be successful," he concluded.

The address of Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba.