President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a meeting with President of the Republic of Guatemala Alejandro Giammattei Falla who is on a visit to our country.
As Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted, this is the first visit of the head of the Guatemalan state to Ukraine in the entire history of bilateral relations, as well as the first visit of the leader of a Latin American country since February 24, 2022, and in the last 12 years in general.
“It is crucial that such a visit is taking place right now - during the brutal and colonialist war of the Russian Federation against our people, against Ukraine. Ukraine is grateful to Guatemala for its support, and to you personally, Mr. President, I am very grateful for your principled stance,” the Head of State noted during a conversation with media representatives following the negotiations with Alejandro Giammattei Falla in Kyiv.
The President of Ukraine emphasized the serious consequences of Russian aggression, which are now being felt all over the world, in particular due to the food crisis and price destabilization in the energy markets, as well as due to political challenges to the entire international legal order.
“For the citizens of dozens of states, and in Latin America as well, the cost of living is unfairly increasing just because one state, the Russian Federation, decided to undermine the existing political and economic relations in the world. Only together can we protect the world, only together can we protect the international legal order,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.
The President of Ukraine expressed gratitude to Guatemala for clear and consistent support of our state, its territorial integrity, sovereignty, as well as for the unwavering position on the protection of human rights and the fundamental right of every nation to freedom and independence.
“Today, we agreed to continue to join our efforts on international platforms with the aim of further isolating Russia and increasing the price for this war and destabilization of people's lives.
I want to thank Mr. Giammattei for supporting the sanctions policy against Russia. And I am glad that Guatemala is ready to join the promotion of the initiative to create a Special Tribunal to punish Russia for the crime of aggression against the people of Ukraine,” the Head of State noted.
As Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized, all key elements of today's bilateral negotiations with Alejandro Giammattei will be recorded in a joint statement, which will be made public following the meeting.
Also, according to the Ukrainian President, an intergovernmental agreement on the mutual abolition of visa requirements was signed during the visit of the President of Guatemala.
“I am convinced that this will contribute to the development of business and social ties between our countries, between our people,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted.
In addition, he informed that a trade and economic dialogue has been launched for the implementation of a number of specific projects. In particular, the Guatemalan side confirmed its interest in purchasing Ukrainian agricultural products and establishing industrial relations.
“I invited Alejandro to participate in the Crimea Platform Summit, which will be held online on August 23. I also spoke about the consolidation of other countries of the region to participate in this Summit,” the Head of State said.
For his part, the President of the Republic of Guatemala noted that he had come to Kyiv to express absolute support for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Armed Forces and the entire people of Ukraine, who are bravely defending themselves against aggression.
He said that today he had visited the cities in the Kyiv region, where the aggressor had committed heinous crimes, and expressed his support for all the victims.
According to Alejandro Giammattei, the consequences of this war affect the whole world and the future of all nations, and the global food crisis that may occur due to this war will affect all countries, including Guatemala.
He called on the world community not to remain silent at a time when people are dying in Ukraine every day, and to join forces to restore peace, the rule of law and democracy.
"We from Guatemala have brought a message that we stand for peace and must join forces to end this war in order to protect human lives. Guatemala will always adhere to its words. We will not observe passively. We must unite with everyone to put an end to this war and ensure that the drama that Ukraine is experiencing today is not repeated," said the head of the Guatemalan state.
Before the start of the meeting, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy received credentials from Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Guatemala (non-resident) Jorge Alfredo Lemcke Arévalo.
