Ukrainian foreign minister reaches Oman as part of 6-day Mideast, Africa tour

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Wednesday arrived in Oman as part of a six-day tour of four countries in the Middle East and Africa.

A statement by the Foreign Ministry said Sybiha will also visit Angola, Egypt and South Africa from Oct. 23-28.

The trip comes after Sybiha's three-day visit to Türkiye, where he held talks with his counterpart Hakan Fidan and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and also attended SAHA EXPO 2024, a defense and aerospace exhibition.

Sybiha’s tour aims to “promote the Peace Formula, develop political dialogue, consolidate humanitarian and energy support to Ukraine, develop trade and economic cooperation,” the statement said.

According to a separate ministry readout, Sybiha met Oman's Economy Minister Said Al Saqri and expressed Kyiv’s interest in developing relations with Oman and the Gulf states in a number of areas.

“The minister offered the Omani side to consider the possibility of creating a food hub for Ukrainian products and their further promotion to the markets of East African countries,” the press release said.

Both sides agreed that the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine led to negative global consequences, particularly aggravating a number of crises related to food, energy, and security.

Sybiha will head to the Angolan capital Luanda on Thursday and hold talks with a number of high-ranking officials.