On October 25, 2023, Special Representative of Ukraine for the Middle East and Africa Maksym Subkh met with the leaders of communities of Arab countries in Ukraine.
The members of the delegation unanimously reiterated the unwavering support of Arab diasporas in Ukraine for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our state. They expressed solidarity with the Ukrainian people in resistance to the Russian armed aggression.
The participants of the meeting discussed the ways to intensify bilateral cooperation. Representatives of Arab diasporas informed about their active informational, humanitarian, and volunteer activities during the full-scale armed aggression of the Russian Federation against our state. Maksym Subkh, for his part, highlighted the priorities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' communication activities and proposed to the leaders of the Arab communities in Ukraine to join the Ministry's public information campaigns.
In addition, the Ukrainian diplomat expressed his gratitude to the heads of diasporas of Arab countries for their active public position and the practical assistance provided by representatives of the Arab communities in Ukraine to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as well as to the civilian population of our country since the first days of the large-scale Russian invasion.
Regarding the recent events in the Gaza Strip, Maksym Subkh noted that Ukraine, as a state that courageously resists Russian terrorism, which takes many lives, including civilians, is following with concern the dangerous development of the situation in the Middle East, which has already led to numerous losses among the civilian population of both Palestine and Israel. He also informed about Ukraine's efforts to evacuate Ukrainian citizens from the war zone. The Special Representative emphasized that Ukraine supports international efforts to ensure an uninterrupted operation of humanitarian corridors to deliver food, medicine, and necessities to the Palestinian population.
The representatives of Arab communities shared their assessments of the development of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. They emphasized the need to implement the principle of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security. They also handed over a collective letter with proposals and a vision of the Arab communities in Ukraine for the ways to resolve the conflict on the basis of the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council.