Ukraine’s Ambassador to Cyprus, Nizhynsky, resigned amid a scandal: the Foreign Ministry issued a statement
16 June 10:39
Serhiy Nizhynskyi, Ukraine’s ambassador to Cyprus, has found himself at the center of a high-profile diplomatic scandal. He submitted a letter of resignation addressed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stating that the reason was allegedly demands by Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga to carry out decisions that contradict Ukrainian law and could harm the state.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denied these allegations, according to "Komersant Ukrainian"
Nizhynsky submitted his resignation to Zelensky
Serhiy Nizhynsky, Ukraine’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Cyprus, wrote a letter of resignation addressed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Journalist Vlad Sidorenko reported on Nizhynsky’s letter and published the document.
In it, the diplomat asks that his resignation be accepted due to allegedly unlawful demands from the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Nizhynsky claims that Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga allegedly demanded that he implement decisions which, in the ambassador’s opinion, may contradict Ukrainian law and harm state interests.
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How the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded
The press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stated that Nizhynsky’s allegations are false and manipulative.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that at the time the information about his alleged voluntary resignation appeared, the diplomat had already been nominated for recall.
“In reality, this is not about his voluntary ‘resignation’—at the time he leaked this to the media, he had already been nominated for recall,” the ministry stated.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also noted that it has questions regarding the legal basis of the document published by Nizhynsky.
According to the ministry, a diplomat does not have the right to resign from the diplomatic service on his own initiative unless he holds the appropriate category and rank.
When Nizhynsky was nominated for recall
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga submitted a request to the President of Ukraine on June 10 to recall Serhiy Nizhynsky from his post as Ukraine’s ambassador to the Republic of Cyprus.
The ministry stated that the grounds for this decision were the lack of significant results in his work, the ambassador’s passivity, and reputational risks for the state.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs paid particular attention to Cyprus’s EU presidency, which is of great importance to Ukraine in the context of European integration.
The ministry claims that Nizhynsky’s tenure as ambassador to Cyprus was characterized by inertia and passivity.
“The decision to open the cluster, like most other important steps during this period, was achieved in spite of, rather than thanks to, his work. His tenure in the Republic of Cyprus was characterized by inertia, passivity, and reputational risks for the state,” the Foreign Ministry stated.
The ministry also believes that the diplomat learned of his recall in advance and decided to present the situation as a voluntary resignation, while simultaneously leveling accusations against the ministry’s leadership.
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