WASHINGTON, Oct 19, CMC- Ukraine Monday awarded Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States, Sir Ronald Sanders, its Order of Merit in recognition of his contribution to strengthening interstate cooperation and supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The award, conferred by decree of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on August 24 this year, recognises Sir Ronald’s contribution to strengthening interstate cooperation and supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Ukraine’s Chargé d’affaires, Denys Sienik, in resenting the award on behalf of President Zelenskyy, described Sir Ronald, who is also Antigua and Barbuda’s Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States (OAS as “an outstanding diplomat, a principled statesman, and a true friend of Ukraine”.
Sienik credited the Mission of Antigua and Barbuda, under Sir Ronald’s leadership, with serving as a principal driving force behind the OAS’s consideration of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
He highlighted Sir Ronald’s work in initiating diplomatic action, negotiating texts and mobilising support for resolutions and declarations defending Ukraine, including the February 2022 declaration condemning the invasion, the March 2022 resolution calling for Russia’s immediate military withdrawal, and the April 2022 resolution suspending Russia’s status as a Permanent Observer at the OAS.
Sienik also recognised Sir Ronald’s subsequent advocacy at OAS General Assemblies and his sustained public support through widely published commentaries.
In accepting the honour, Sir Ronald said he shared it with the Antigua and Barbuda government, whose support for Ukraine rested on principles essential to the country’s own existence: sovereignty, territorial integrity and every nation’s right to determine its future.
“For Antigua and Barbuda, and for smaller nations everywhere, sovereignty is the freedom to govern ourselves, preserve our identity and decide how our people will live. International law protects that freedom. When it is violated with impunity in one country, its protection is weakened for all.”
“Ukraine’s people bear the suffering of this war. But the principle they are defending belongs to every nation: our unequal power does not diminish our equal rights,” he told the ceremony, expressing solidarity with Ukrainian families who had lost loved ones or been displaced.
In his address, Sir Ronald called for a just and lasting peace that respected Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“They also deserve the support of every nation that believes in justice, international law, democracy and the right of all peoples to live free from threats and coercion,” he added.
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