In the Omani capital Muscat, Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andriy Sybiha and Oman Badr bin Hamad Albusaidi took part in the opening ceremony of a new foreign diplomatic institution, the Embassy of Ukraine in the Sultanate of Oman, the press service of the MFA of Ukraine reported on Wednesday, October 23.

The Embassy of Ukraine in Oman has become the eighth foreign diplomatic institution in the wave of expansion of Ukraine's diplomatic presence in Africa and the Middle East, which has been ongoing since 2022. As part of this expansion, diplomatic institutions have already begun operating in Botswana, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Mauritania, Mozambique and Rwanda.

In his speech, Andriy Sybiha emphasized that the opening of new embassies in African and Middle Eastern countries is part of a broader foreign policy course to strengthen Ukraine's ties with the countries of the Global South.

The Foreign Minister also expressed confidence that the launch of the foreign diplomatic mission will take bilateral relations between Ukraine and Oman to a qualitatively new level. In particular, he emphasized the importance of cooperation between the two countries to promote the Peace Formula.

The Minister noted significant prospects for the development of cooperation between Ukraine and Oman in trade, investment, energy, technology and other sectors. The Sultanate of Oman is of strategic importance for Ukraine, given its geographical location, critical role in energy supply chains, place in the global energy market as a member of OPEC, the ability to supply Ukrainian food to East African states, and an authoritative voice in the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf.

During the opening of the embassy, ​​Andriy Sybiha held a separate meeting with the Ukrainian community of Oman and expressed gratitude to his compatriots for supporting Ukraine and preserving the Ukrainian identity.