On May 22-23, Special Representative of Ukraine for the Middle East and Africa Maksym Subkh visited Nouakchott in the framework of his working visits to North Africa to officially open the Embassy of Ukraine in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.
The event was attended by officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mauritania, ambassadors and members of the diplomatic corps accredited in the country, media and business representatives.
In his speech at the ceremony, Maksym Subkh noted that the launch of the Ukrainian diplomatic mission in Nouakchott is a testament to Ukraine's determination to intensify cooperation with Mauritania as an important partner in the Sahel region. He provided the participants of the event with updated information on the ongoing armed aggression of Russia and the efforts of the Ukrainian people and the Armed Forces of Ukraine aimed at protecting our country.
During his visit to Mauritania, the Special Representative met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mauritania Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug. The parties discussed the development of political dialogue between Kyiv and Nouakchott, as well as ways to intensify and further develop bilateral cooperation in trade, economic, energy, agriculture, mining, information and communication technologies, culture and education.
The Special Representative thanked the Mauritanian side for its consistent support of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity in the course of voting in the UN General Assembly. During the meeting, Maxim Subh handed over to the Mauritanian Foreign Minister a personal message from the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba inviting him to pay an official visit to Ukraine. One of the main topics of the meeting was the importance of Mauritania's participation in the Global Peace Summit in Switzerland on June 15-16 at the level of the President, who has been heading the African Union since February this year.
Maksym Subkh also informed the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Overseas Mauritanians about the delivery of Ukrainian grain and other foodstuffs to Mauritania in the near future as part of the "Grain from Ukraine" program initiated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In his turn, Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug thanked the Government of Ukraine for the first batch of humanitarian aid in the amount of 425 tons of grain provided in early May 2024 with the assistance of international donors through the World Food Program.
Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug also expressed the principled position of his state, which is unconditional compliance with the provisions of the UN Charter and international law, including respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders.
During his stay in Nouakchott, Maxime Subkh also met with the President of the National Assembly of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould Bamba Meguette. The parties discussed the possibilities of intensifying interparliamentary contacts through the leadership of the parliaments, as well as the prospects of establishing parliamentary friendship groups in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the National Assembly of Mauritania.
Maksym Subkh invited the Speaker of the Mauritanian Parliament to join the parliamentary dimension of the Crimean Platform and called for the recognition of the Holodomor of 1932-1933 as genocide of the Ukrainian people.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)