Ukraine names international law expert as its third ambassador to Canada

by Christopher Guly

OTTAWA - Ukraine's third ambassador to Canada Volodymyr Furkalo, 45, will officially take office on February 14 in Ottawa when he presents his diplomatic credentials to Governor General Romeo LeBlanc at Rideau Hall.

Married with one daughter, the new ambassador most recently served in Ukraine's Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Office of the President, where he served as President Leonid Kuchma's personal representative at the Trans-Dniester negotiations.

Born in Kyiv, Mr. Furkalo graduated with a degree in international law from the Moscow State Institute for International Relations. He is the author of three books.

After serving in Ukraine's Armed Forces, he worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1974 to 1977.

In 1977, Mr. Furkalo was assigned to Ukraine's Permanent Mission to the United Nations. He returned to Ukraine in 1980, when he joined Ukraine's Academy of Sciences for the next decade. His last position there was deputy head of the international relations directorate.

Mr. Furkalo returned to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry in 1991 and in 1994 was appointed head of the directorate on foreign policy issues in the administration of the president of Ukraine.

The new ambassador is fluent in English, French and Polish.

"We learned about the announcement after reading reports in newspapers from Ukraine," said Taras Pepa, who will serve as secretary to the new ambassador. Mr. Furkalo was appointed via a decree issued on January 24 by President Kuchma.

Ambassador-designate Furkalo succeeds Viktor Batiuk, who left Ottawa on December 30, 1995, after serving in his post for less than two years. Mr. Batiuk is currently vacationing while awaiting his next diplomatic appointment.

In the meantime, Minister-Counselor Andrij Vesselovsky is serving as chargé d'affaires of the Embassy in Ottawa.

Ukrainian Republican Party leader Levko Lukianenko was Ukraine's first ambassador to Canada. He resigned in September 1993 after serving for 18 months.

Mr. Vesselovsky said of the new ambassador: "His reputation is that of a hard worker."

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, February 11, 1996, No. 6, Vol. LXIV

| Home Page |