MFA of Ukraine says request to recall Ambassador to Cyprus submitted before his announced resignation
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denied a statement by Ukraine’s Ambassador to Cyprus, Serhii Nizhynsky, regarding his voluntary resignation, as a motion to recall him due to unsatisfactory performance had already been submitted.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ press service informed journalists of this in response to an inquiry, according to Ukrinform.
“We refute Mr. Nizhynsky’s false and manipulative allegations regarding the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine or the grounds on which his tenure may end. In fact, this is not a matter of his voluntary ‘resignation’—at the time he leaked this to the media, a motion for his recall had already been filed,” the Foreign Ministry stated.
The press service added that, furthermore, under the law, Mr. Nizhynsky does not have the right to resign from the diplomatic service, as only Category A diplomats with the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary possess such a right.
“He does not hold such a category or rank. Therefore, there are many questions regarding the legal basis of the document published in the media,” the ministry noted.
The press service reported that on June 10, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine submitted a proposal to the President of Ukraine to recall Mr. Nizhynsky due to a lack of significant results in his work and a failure to advance Ukraine’s national interests during Cyprus’s EU presidency.
“The decision to open the cluster, like most other important steps during this period, was achieved in spite of, rather than thanks to, his work. His tenure in the Republic of Cyprus was characterized by inertia, passivity, and reputational risks for the state,” the Foreign Ministry stated.
The ministry emphasized that the Ukrainian Foreign Minister’s approach to evaluating the performance of ambassadors is “absolutely the same for all heads of foreign diplomatic missions, fair and systematic, defined by specific internal documents of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and based on clear criteria.”
“Presumably, Mr. Nizhynsky, upon learning of the motion for his recall, decided to pretend that he was resigning on his own. And in the process, he leveled false accusations against his superior. We regret that a person who, just yesterday, considered himself part of the team, is willing to resort to such manipulations and cause harm to the institution,” the Foreign Ministry concluded.
According to media reports, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Cyprus, Serhii Nizhynskyi, submitted a letter of resignation addressed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “in connection with the demand by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Sybiha A. I. to carry out decisions that contradict Ukrainian law and could harm the state.” He noted that his resignation is in accordance with the provisions of Ukraine’s Law “On the Diplomatic Service.”
Photo: Facebook / Serhiy Nizhynskyi