Serbian embassy resumes work in Kyiv, hold reception
The Embassy of the Republic of Serbia has held a reception on the occasion of the return of the diplomatic mission to Kyiv and the opening of a new premises at 48 Bohdana Khmelnytskyi St. The event brought together diplomats, representatives of government structures, business and academic circles of Ukraine.
During his speech, the Ambassador of Serbia to Ukraine Andon Sapunzi emphasized that the opening of the embassy symbolizes the "return of Serbia to Kyiv" and the resumption of active cooperation between the two countries. "Our working space is not yet complete, but I wanted to share this joy with you now — Serbia is back! Serbia is back!," he noted, addressing the guests.
In his speech, the diplomat emphasized the deep historical ties between the Ukrainian and Serbian peoples. In particular, in the 18th century, more than 50 thousand Serbs settled in the territory of modern Ukraine — near Bakhmut and in the Kirovohrad region, founding Slavic Serbia and New Serbia. At the same time, as early as the 17th century, Ukrainians migrated to Serbia, mainly to Vojvodina.
The ambassador also noted that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, more than 100 thousand Ukrainians have found refuge in Serbia, created companies there, and their children have begun to study in the Serbian language.
Serbia provides humanitarian assistance to Ukraine - in particular, it implements projects to build underground kindergartens near the front, supplies equipment for energy infrastructure, and organizes educational programs for children from Sumy and Kharkiv.
Teachers and students of Serbian studies were separately noted, who maintained scientific and cultural ties between the countries even during the most difficult years of the war.
"We are here to live, work, and share everything with you, our dear Ukrainian friends," the ambassador concluded his speech.
Ukraine and Serbia (then the SFRY) established diplomatic relations on April 15, 1994. The Embassy of Serbia in Kyiv began operating in 1995, but temporarily suspended operations in 2022 due to the security situation. In the fall of 2025, the diplomatic mission officially resumed operations in Kyiv at 48 Bogdan Khmelnytskyi St. The Embassy of Ukraine in Belgrade has been operating since 1995.
