22 May 2023 15:59

Ukrainian FM starts his second Africa tour

MOSCOW. May 22 (Interfax) - Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Dmitry Kuleba has announced the start of his second tour of African countries.

"Morocco. At the beginning of the second tour of African countries, the Moroccan partners invited me to visit the beautiful mosque of Hassan II in Casablanca - the largest functioning mosque in Africa. This is a real work of art on which more than 10,000 Moroccan artists and craftsmen worked for seven years. And what counts most is that the doors of this mosque were cast from Ukrainian titanium," Ukrainian media outlets quoted Kuleba as saying in a social media post.

He said that it is the first visit by a Ukrainian foreign minister to Morocco since the establishment of bilateral relations.

Kuleba said that during his first Africantour in the fall of 2022, he had visited countries of Sub-Saharan Africa, and this time he intends to visit "states in all parts of the continent - from north to south."

The minister said that his tour pursues three goals. "The first goal is to encourage as many African countries as possible to join the implementation of [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky's 'peace formula'. The second goal is to secure support for the uninterrupted export of Ukrainian grain. And the third goal is to create new opportunities for Ukrainian business," he said.

Africa is interested in Ukrainian goods and services, for instance foodstuffs, medications, high tech equipment, education services, the experience of digital transformation and of strengthening information resilience, diplomatic experience, and interaction within international organizations, he said.