The new head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belgium, Hadja Lahbib, wrote a letter to her Ukrainian colleague Dmytro Kuleba in honor of Ukraineʼs Statehood Day. She assured that Belgium recognizes the territorial integrity of Ukraine, but did not mention her trip to the annexed Crimea in 2021.
The text of the letter is published on her official website.
"Ukraine is an independent and sovereign state, as well as a valuable and reliable member of the international community. Its people have an indisputable right to choose their own destiny. The territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders must be fully respected. These borders cover all territories of Ukraine, including Crimea and Donbas, which are currently under the illegal occupation of the Russian Federation directly or through puppet regimes," she stated.
Lahbib emphasized that Belgium considers Ukraine as a member of the European family and will support it in the war against Russia.
"I hope that I will have the opportunity to visit Kyiv in the near future to personally express our support and discuss with you how we can not only continue, but also strengthen our future cooperation," she emphasized.
- The newly appointed head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belgium, former journalist and presenter Hadja Lahbib, visited the occupied Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in July 2021. She did not tell how exactly she got there, and did not call it the territory of Ukraine. In July 2021, Lahbib published photos from Sevastopol on her Instagram. She also attended the "Global Values" festival organized by the Sevastopol Academic Russian Drama Theater named after Lunacharskyi. In 2021, it was held on July 23-25.
- In addition, Lahbib posted on her Facebook photos from the exhibition in the Livadia Palace with an exposition about the Yalta Conference and from Chekhovʼs dacha in Yalta. After the trip, she was asked on television about this visit and about the status of the peninsula, in particular, about whether she returned "from Ukraine or from Russia." Lahbib did not answer clearly, but noted that "to land at the Simferopol airport, a Russian visa is required."
- On July 27, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reported that they are in contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belgium and are investigating all the circumstances of the trip of the new head of the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hadja Lahbib, to the annexed Crimea in 2021. After that, a decision will be made there on the further fate of bilateral contacts.