Day of Foreign Service Workers of Ukraine (22/12)

Every year on December 22, Ukraine celebrates «Day of Foreign Service Workers» (Ukrainian). «Day of Practitioners of the Diplomatic Service»), established by Presidential Decree № 1639/2005 of November 21, 2005, taking into account the important role of Ukrainian diplomatic service workers in maintaining peaceful and mutually beneficial cooperation between Ukraine and members of the international community, while ensuring the national interests and security of Ukraine, as well as protecting the rights and interests of citizens and legal entities of Ukraine abroad«.

The date for the holiday was chosen due to the fact that on this day in 1917 the General Secretariat of International Affairs was created by the Government of the Ukrainian People's Republic.

This is a professional holiday for Ukrainian diplomats and employees of diplomatic missions, embassies and consulates of the country. The Foreign Political Service of Ukraine has long traditions, based primarily on the diplomatic experience of Kievan Rus, which maintained active relations with Byzantium, the Holy See, the German Empire, Poland, Hungary, France, and the Scandinavian states.

External relations became especially extensive and dynamic during the reign of Prince Yaroslav the Wise at the very beginning of the 11th century. After the collapse of the ancient state, the promotion of Ukrainian diplomacy became especially noticeable during the Cossack period.

In 1594, Sich became a full member of the international coalition for the first time in its history, concluding an agreement with the «Holy League» on a common struggle against the Ottoman Empire.

International contacts between the Cossacks are significantly expanding with the arrival of Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky. After Khmelnitsky, hetmans Ivan Vygovsky, Ivan Mazepa and Philip Orlik made a great contribution to the development of Ukrainian diplomacy.

The creation and formation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine as a full-fledged state structure is associated with the creation of the Ukrainian People's Republic in 1917.

After the adoption of the Act of Independence of Ukraine on August 24, 1991, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was faced with new tasks related to the recognition of Ukraine as an international community, the establishment of diplomatic relations, the creation of a network of its own diplomatic and consular missions, the restructuring of bilateral relations with foreign countries, the acquisition of membership and approval in international organizations.

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