Welcome to the Australian Embassy, Kyiv

ukraine.embassy.gov.au

O'Rourke image from

I have been Australia’s Ambassador to Ukraine since September 2017, the year our two countries celebrated 25 years of diplomatic relations. I am proud to lead the small but energetic Australian team in Kyiv.

Australia is a firm supporter of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. This support was reaffirmed during the official visit to Australia in December 2014 of Ukraine’s President, His Excellency Petro Poroshenko. It was also emphasised during the visit to Kyiv of the President of the Australian Senate, Senator the Hon Stephen Parry, in October 2017.

Supporting the international investigation into the tragic downing of MH17 and bringing the perpetrators to justice remains a major part of the Embassy’s operations. Australia and Ukraine are united in this pursuit, working alongside partners the Netherlands, Malaysia, and Belgium.

A key priority for me is to further strengthen the bilateral relationship between Australia and Ukraine. Our two nations have a strong history of cooperation in the multilateral sphere, and will be serving together on the Human Rights Council in 2018-2020. The Embassy runs a small but targeted and high impact Direct Aid Program which has had real and lasting impacts for Ukrainian communities. We have an active public diplomacy agenda, and we are working to expand trade ties, cultural exchange and people-to-people links. This is underpinned by the active Ukrainian diaspora in Australia which numbers around 46,000.

I recognise Ukraine’s efforts to move through a complex and broad reform agenda. This will be a difficult road, but critically important to reach the high aspirations of the Government and people of Ukraine as a modern, European nation. Australia fully supports Ukraine as it moves through this challenging process.

You can find more information on Australia and our activities here on our website. This includes advice on applying for a visa to visit Australia (in English or Ukrainian). I encourage you to keep abreast of Embassy developments by following our Twitter and Facebook accounts @AUinUA.



Melissa O’Rourke

Ambassador