Ukraine's FM reveals details of meeting with Czech charge d'affaires

During a meeting with the Chargé d'Affaires of the Czech Republic in Ukraine, Benjamin Ziga, Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister Oleksandr Mishchenko emphasized that the Ukrainian-Czech strategic partnership should continue to be based on mutual respect and dignity.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi stated this to journalists, according to Ukrinform.

Tykhyi said that the meeting between the Ukrainian and Czech diplomats took place on Monday, January 5, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, in the context of the previous day's meeting between Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka and Ukraine's Ambassador Vasyl Zvarych.

"The discussion focused on the importance of a constructive approach to the Ukrainian-Czech strategic partnership, which has a mutually beneficial foundation and should continue to uphold the principles of mutual respect and dignity," he said.

He added that the Ukrainian side expects an intensification of bilateral dialogue, including at the level of foreign ministers.

"A phone call between the ministers is planned in the near future, from which we expect constructive engagement and the right outcomes for bilateral relations," Tykhyi noted.

As Ukrinform previously reported, Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka held a meeting with Ukraine's Ambassador to Prague, Vasyl Zvarych, and said he intended to speak by phone with his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha.

The meeting took place shortly after the ambassador criticized statements made by the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Tomio Okamura. At the time, Macinka said he did not consider it appropriate for an ambassador of a foreign state to publicly assess statements by one of the highest constitutional officials.

In his New Year address, Okamura sharply criticized Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelensky, and also expressed the wish that the country would never become a member of the EU. These remarks prompted reactions from Verkhovna Rada Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk, Ukraine's Ambassador to the Czech Republic Vasyl Zvarych, and Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.