Ukrainian foreign minister says he invited Chinese counterpart to visit Ukraine

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Friday that he invited his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to visit Ukraine during talks held on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, which began earlier in the day.

In remarks to Ukrainian TV channel Novyny following the meeting, Sybiha said he and Wang had a “very substantive, pragmatic” conversation and discussed issues on the bilateral agenda as well as regional and global developments.

Noting that China is currently Ukraine’s primary trading partner, Sybiha said bilateral trade reached $21 billion last year and that Kyiv is interested in continuing cooperation.

“We believe that China can play an important role in bringing about a just peace for Ukraine. We appreciate that China supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine,” Sybiha said.

He noted that the coming year will mark the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Ukraine and China and said the two ministers exchanged invitations to visit each other’s countries.

No official statement on the meeting has yet been issued by Kyiv or Beijing.

Earlier Friday, Sybiha also held talks with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and took part in the opening of the Ukraine House in Munich on the sidelines of the conference.