Ukraine and Switzerland have agreed on mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccination certificates, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said.
“I am also pleased to announce that we have agreed to recognize COVID-19 vaccination certificates for free and safe travel of citizens and businesses,” Kuleba said at a press conference following talks with Federal Adviser, Vice President and Chairman of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation Ignazio Cassis in Kyiv on Thursday.
“The exchange of notes has already taken place, and I invite all citizens to the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs tripadvisor.mfa.gov.ua, where you will see updated information on the conditions of travel to Switzerland,” the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry added.
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister stressed that the mutual recognition of certificates is a very important step. “First of all, this is a step of trust that exists between our countries,” Kuleba added.
Ukraine will provide assistance to Moldova with gas supplies, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) Oleksiy Danilov said.
“We decided to instruct the Cabinet of Ministers to consider this issue. We understand that we can do such assistance to the Republic of Moldova in the near future,” Danilov said at a briefing on Friday following the results of the NSDC meeting.
According to him, Prime Minister of Moldova Natalia Gavrilița has made such a request to the Ukrainian government.
“The Prime Minister of Ukraine received a letter from his colleague with a request to help with gas in order to avoid a difficult situation, which has developed taking into account the blackmail that Gazprom is doing there,” Danilov said.
Later, he said that it would be gas on credit, not for money, and then Moldova would return the supplied resource. According to him, this must be done, since Ukraine and Moldova are united, and there are territories in Ukraine that are supplied with gas from Moldova.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin, during his visit to Georgia and Ukraine next week, will urge these countries to carry out the transformations necessary to qualify for NATO membership, the Pentagon has said.
“Austin will stress in both Georgia and Ukraine that there is an open door to NATO and encourage the nations to make the changes necessary for them to qualify for membership in the defensive alliance,” the U.S. Department of Defense has reported.
As reported, Austin will visit Romania and Belgium after Ukraine and Georgia. In Brussels, the head of the Pentagon will hold a meeting with the defense ministers of the NATO countries. According to the Pentagon, this meeting is expected to discuss Russia, as well as problems from China.
Earlier, the Pentagon said Austin was going on a trip to Europe that weekend. In Georgia, he will meet with Prime Minister of this country Irakli Garibashvili and Defense Minister Juansher Burchuladze, and in Ukraine with President Volodymyr Zelensky and Defense Minister Andriy Taran.
In Romania he will meet with President Klaus Iohannis and Defense Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciuca.
The tenth meeting of the high-level strategic council between Ukraine and Turkey will be held in early 2022, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said.
“The main topic of our today’s talks is the preparation of the tenth meeting of the high-level strategic council, chaired by Presidents Zelensky and Erdogan. The meeting of this strategic council will take place early next year,” Kuleba said at a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu in Lviv on Thursday.
The Minister pointed out that the strategic partnership between Ukraine and Turkey is currently at the highest point of development over the past 30 years.
Kuleba pointed out that the ministers agreed on specific steps that will speed up consultations between the ministries of economies of Ukraine and Turkey on signing a free trade agreement.
“Mevlüt and I are convinced that we and our colleagues from our governments must make every effort to fulfill as soon as possible the instructions of the two presidents and sign a free trade agreement. And today we have agreed on specific steps that will speed up consultations between the ministries of our countries’ economies,” he said.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu is paying a working visit to Ukraine (Lviv) on October 7-8.
On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the murders in Babyn Yar, Israeli President Isaac Herzog will make his first official visit to Ukraine, according to the Israeli Embassy in Ukraine.”During his official visit to Ukraine, President Herzog will speak at events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Babyn Yar massacre, meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, address the Verkhovna Rada and meet with representatives of the Ukrainian Jewish community. The visit is expected on October 5 to 7, 2021,” the embassy said in the statement, which was provided to Interfax-Ukraine on Wednesday.
The Duke will arrive in Ukraine on Tuesday, October 5, 2021, on the first official visit of his presidency, at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelensky.
During the visit, President Herzog will take part in the official international ceremony dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the murders at Babyn Yar, the opening of Kyiv Holocaust Memorial Center in Babyn Yar. Zeev Elkin, a government representative in Ukraine, and other members of the Knesset will also join the presidential delegation, the embassy said.
“There is a need to keep talking about this terrible event and learning its lessons. The Holocaust Memorial Center at Babyn Yar is an important place to celebrate this painful memory and to make a statement that we must continue to make together: never again. The only way to build a present and a future in which crimes against humanity will not find support – it is to study the past, including the Holocaust and the persecution of the Jewish people, in the spirit of the commandment “and you will tell your son and daughter.” I welcome the invitation of President Zelensky and his dedication to the war against anti-Semitism,” the embassy said.
On the morning of Tuesday, October 5, President Herzog will fly to Ukraine, where he will start his visit by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Kyiv, and then go to an official reception at the Mariinsky Palace, which will start with a guard of honor.
Later, President Herzog will meet with President Zelensky. The meeting will be followed by a joint press statement. In the evening, President Zelensky will receive President Herzog at an official dinner.
On Wednesday morning, President Herzog will address the Verkhovna Rada. On the same day, President Herzog will take part in an event with the local Jewish community and will meet with President of the Federal Republic of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who will also attend the Babyn Yar memorial ceremony.
On Wednesday afternoon, President Herzog will deliver a speech at the official ceremony to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Babyn Yar murders at the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center in Kyiv, the embassy said.
During the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the presidents of Ukraine, Poland, Moldova and the Prime Minister of Georgia will meet, according to the official website of the President of Poland.
According to the published schedule, President of Poland Andrzej Duda and his wife will visit the United States on September 21-24, 2021.
On the first day of the visit, September 21 at 20:00, Duda is scheduled to meet with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, President of the Republic of Moldova Maia Sandu and Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili.
