On December 10, President Petro Poroshenko signed a decree appointing Volodymyr Yelchenko as the new Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN. Until that moment, Yuriy Sergeyev served our country in this position, beginning in 2007.
It should be noted that Yelchenko has vast diplomatic experience. He began his career in Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs back in 1981. He was ultimately promoted to the position of Deputy Foreign Minister. He served as the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN in 1997-2001, and his last two years in New York saw him representing our country as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC).
From 2005 to 2010, Yelchenko was the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the International Organizations in Vienna. And, finally, between 2010 and his latest appointment to New York, he served as the Ambassador to the Russian Federation.
Speaking about the tasks facing Yelchenko as he will head the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the UN, Foreign Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin stated the following: “Effective work in the UNSC is the new summit we are ascending. In order to conquer it, we are already providing our mission in New York with a new dynamic. It is good to see that Ukraine is lucky to have a cohort of professionals who are well-versed in the UN issues and are able to effectively guide its work at all levels in the interests of our state.”
According to the minister, Yelchenko is one of these pros. “This is a person who knows the UN inside out, enjoys high prestige there, and has unique expertise in representing Ukraine at the UNSC, given that he did so during our previous membership in this body in 2000-01,” Klimkin added.
According to Klimkin, also important and useful in his new position will be Yelchenko’s experience as Ukraine’s ambassador to Russia. “He is well-versed in the peculiarities of the Russian diplomacy. I am sure that this experience will be invaluable to him in the UN arena, where he will have to defend the interests of Ukraine while sharing a table with the representative of the aggressor,” the minister stressed.
COMMENTARY
“YELCHENKO’S TASK IS TO TAKE ALL POSSIBLE MEASURES TO RESTORE THE TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY OF UKRAINE AND HELD ITS VIOLATORS ACCOUNTABLE”
Oleksandr MOTSYK, former Ambassador of Ukraine to the US:
“This appointment is right on the mark. He is a very professional person. I have known him since his student days, since we went to the university together. He has extensive experience in the UN. He worked there twice before.
“In my opinion, Yelchenko’s most important task at the UN will be to revitalize the UNSC’s efforts to assist Ukraine in resolving the present situation: stopping the Russian aggression, restoring the territorial integrity of Ukraine both in the Donbas and Crimea. Also, it will include bringing to the world the true and objective information about the situation in Ukraine, namely that there is aggression from a neighboring nation, that there is no civil war, and terrorism in the Donbas is a tool of the Russian policy towards Ukraine.
“On the other hand, his tasks include developing relations with all countries of the world to further strengthen global security, solve global problems such as the climate change and food shortages and other issues that affect all of our planet, and promote sustainable development.
“Yelchenko’s task is to take all possible measures to restore the territorial integrity of Ukraine and held its violators accountable.”
