1989: A LOOK BACK: Consulates in Kiev (12/31/89)

1989: A LOOK BACK

Consulates in Kiev

On November 23, Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney announced in Kiev that Canada will open a consulate in the Ukrainian capital in recognition of "the close ties of family and friendship that bind the peoples of Canada and Ukraine." The announcement was made during the prime minister's five-day trip to the USSR, which also took him to Moscow and Leningrad.

During his trip to Kiev, Mr. Mulroney became the first Western leader to meet Volodymyr Ivashko, the recently named first secretary of the Communist Party of Ukraine.

Although no date has been set for the consulate opening the Office of the Prime Minister issued an official announcement which stated that the Canadian government "will be proceeding with this matter on a priority basis."

About a week earlier, the French daily newspaper Le Monde reported that the Soviet Union and France had agreed on the opening of reciprocal consulates in Kiev and Strasbourg.

As well, the United Kingdom and the United States have plans for consulates in the Ukrainian capital.

In the United States, concerns about security in the wake of the Moscow Embassy bugging stalled the Kiev consulate. However, the Congress and administration now lean toward the opening of a non-secure small consulate in the Ukrainian capital, and the issue is expected to be taken up again in 1990.

Thus far, Kiev is home to two consulates, those of West Germany, opened on August 1, and Finland.