On March 3, 2024, at his request, the Ambassador of Ukraine to Cairo, Mykola Nahorny, accompanied with Counsellor Volodymyr Martyniuk, visited ECFA. He was received by the ambassadors: Mohamed El-Oraby, ECFA Chairman, and Ezzat Saad, ECFA Director, as well as Ali El-Hefny, ECFA Secretary-General.

ECFA representatives affirmed Egypt’s great appreciation for the state of Ukraine, expressing their regret for the dire conditions that befell Ukrainian territories, and affirming that Egypt’s position regarding the ongoing crisis is clear, represented in the importance of preserving Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence.

On his part, the Ukrainian Ambassador thanked ECFA for the warm reception, while pointing out that many Ukrainians had strong friendly relations with the Egyptian people, adding that the trial operation of the High Dam was carried out with the help of Ukraine, and that there is cooperation between the two countries in the field of agriculture, as well as in the field of tourism, as Ukrainian tourists come at the top list of foreign tourists to Egypt.

  In response to an inquiry about the current military situation after the change in the Ukrainian military leadership, the guest pointed out that it is very difficult, and that the situation on the front has turned into a war of attrition for both sides, but it is extremely bad for Ukraine, with the fact that Russia has destroyed about 50-60% of Ukraine’s military equipment, as well as the overall Russian superiority in aviation and air forces, in addition to the divisions in the U.S. Congress regarding the support provided to Ukraine, and the likelihood that candidate Donald Trump will win the upcoming presidential elections at the expense of President Biden.

 On the other hand, in response to ECFA’s inquiry about Ukraine’s position on the situation in Gaza, the guest responded that they were shocked by what happened on October 7, adding that a large number of Ukrainians had immigrated to Israel and live there to this day. In the end, Ukraine’s position regarding the Palestinian cause is clear, as it supports the two-state solution and peaceful settlement of the question. But Ukraine is in fact suffering from a difficult situation, in connection with what is happening in Gaza, since the role of the Jewish lobby in the United States is decisive in this matter, which therefore affects the extent of support that Washington can provide to Kiev.

Regarding the nature of Egypt-Ukraine relations, the guest explained that his country had great ambitions for cooperation with Egypt, and that it intended, six months before the outbreak of the war, to upgrade bilateral relations to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership, and to establish a high-level joint commission between the two countries, including an attempt to benfit from this step in order to facilitate Ukrainian access within the African continent, but the war prevented the start of this close cooperative approach. However, in light of the effects of the war on Ukrainian wheat exports, Ukraine exported about 3 million and 300 thousand tons of wheat to Egypt during 2023, but with the guest’s strong appreciation that Egypt was one of the first countries to call for halting Russian interference in Ukraine, however, he expressed the “disappointment” in Egypt’s statement following the vote condemning the Russian military operation on March 2, 2022, a statement that empties the Egyptian vote of its content, as he described it.

In this regard, it was emphasized that Egypt’s position is committed to achieving a balance between principles and interests, and strengthening its relations with various major powers. Egypt also strongly participated in the Arab initiative to find a settlement to the crisis (the Arab Contact Group), and visited Russia and Poland (to meet with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba) but to no avail. Egypt also participated in the corresponding African initiative, in June 2023, but it was not destined for success like its predecessor.

In conclusion, the guest suggested looking into the possibility of establishing a partnership between ECFA and the Ukrainian Diplomatic Association. He also invited the Egyptian ambassadors and those concerned to write in the magazine issued by the Association, and to participate in the various activities organized by the Embassy in Cairo, which was welcomed and appreciated by ECFA.