UK Europe Minister To Pay 1st Foreign Visit To Kiev On Saturday - Foreign Office

UK Europe Minister to Pay 1st Foreign Visit to Kiev on Saturday - Foreign Office

UK Minister of State for Europe and the Americas Christopher Pincher will visit Ukraine on Saturday, in what will be his first foreign trip since appointment in late July, the UK Foreign Office said in a statement

LONDON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th September, 2019) UK Minister of State for Europe and the Americas Christopher Pincher will visit Ukraine on Saturday, in what will be his first foreign trip since appointment in late July, the UK Foreign Office said in a statement.

"Minister Pincher will reiterate that the UK will remain by Ukraine's side as we look forward to new, exciting opportunities for both our countries," the Foreign Office said on Friday.

He will deliver a speech at the annual Yalta European Strategy (YES) forum on Saturday "to reflect on Ukraine's European future," according to the UK diplomatic service.

"П�ивіт Київ! Excited to make my first visit to Kyiv at such an important time for both our nations. The UK remains committed to providing political & practical support to #Ukraine because Ukraine's security, stability and prosperity is vital for Europe," Pincher wrote on his Twitter account.

The minister also emphasized that the United Kingdom was "one of the first nations out of the blocks" to demonstrate support for Kiev after the Kerch Strait incident that resulted in seizing three Ukrainian vessels by Russia.

On November 25, 2018, Ukraine's Berdyansk and Nikopol gunboats and the Yany Kapu tugboat illegally crossed the Russian maritime border as they sailed toward the Kerch Strait, the entrance to the Sea of Azov. Russia seized the Ukrainian vessels and detained 24 crew members after they failed to respond to a demand to stop. After the incident, a criminal case on illegal border crossing was opened in Russia.

Last week, Russia and Ukraine each released 35 convicted and detained persons, including 24 Ukrainian sailors, accused of violating the Russian maritime border.