The America Times was re-born on September 11, 2021, with the goal to better inform our leaders and policymakers of nuances, beyond conventional wisdom, to successfully address present day “Gordion Knots,” sometimes as Alexander the Great did by cutting it and other times by tediously unraveling it. During January 2022, diplomacy is at a fever pitch in Washington D.C., Moscow, Kyiv, Vienna, Geneva and Brussels, as a 100,000 Russian troops are keeping Ukraine’s borders “warm” in the Russian Winter. And, starting January 1st, five days before our one-year anniversary of our January 6th, Kazakhstan experienced peaceful protects, taken over by organized violent, radical, terrorist insurrection, and President Tokayev sought CSTO Peacekeepers to come and leave, restored law & order, and is now causing major reforms to secular democratic Kazakhstan. Given the CSTO success in Kazakhstan, we can hope – updating James A. Baker’s Dec 5, 1993 Op-Ed in LA Times – that NATO & CSTO can merge to achieve President Biden’s goal of a united, free and stable Europe.
We are honored and privileged to have H. E. Volodymyr Yelchenko – a geopolitical and diplomatic star of Ukraine, including, having served as Permanent Representative and member of the United Nations Security Council twice, during 2000 – 2001, and again during 2017-2018, bilateral ambassador to the United States, Antigua and Barbados, and Jamaica, and Permanent Observer to the OAS – join the Honorary Board of Advisors & Columnists of The America Times in recognition of his excellence and record of contributions. Ambassador Volodymyr Yelchenko’s life experiences and diplomatic service, helps him to better decipher the unshared motives of geopolitical leaders and unspoken goals of geopolitical events, which he will share from time to time on our pages. This will serve to form a more perfect nation, and world, and thereby enhance both regional and global peace and security.
Benjamin Franklin famously said in 1787: “It’s a republic madam, if you can keep it.” Ambassador Volodymyr Yelchenko’s contributions in The America Times will help us keep our Republic. Please enjoy his accomplishments, along with a few pictures – in various settings, including, with his colleagues as he is honored with the Diwali Power of One award at the United Nations Trusteeship Council, the Oscars of Diplomacy, in 2019.
Ranju Batra & Ravi Batra
Publishers
H.E. Volodymyr Yelchenko
The Distinguished Career of Ambassador Volodymyr Yelchenko
Born on June 27, 1959, in Kyiv, Ukraine, he graduated from Kyiv State University in 1981 (M. A. Diploma in International Relations and International Law). He embarked on a diplomatic career in 1981. He served as Second Secretary in the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations, New York, USA (1986 – 1992), Chief of Section at the Department of International Organizations, MFA of Ukraine, Kyiv (1992 – 1993), International Civil Affairs Officer, (February-August 1993) at the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR). He was the Deputy Director at the Department of International Organizations, MFA of Ukraine, Kyiv (1993 -1995) and Director at the Department of International Organizations, MFA of Ukraine, Kyiv (1995 – 1997).
He served as Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations (1997 – 2000), Representative of Ukraine to the UN Security Council (2000 – 2001), and was President of the UN Security Council (March 2001).
Between 2000-2001 Ambassador Volodymyr Yelchenko served as Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, between 2001- 2003 Deputy Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, in March-May 2003 Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and between May 2003 and February 2005 First Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
Between May 2004 and April 2005, he held the position of Chairman of the National Commission of Ukraine for UNESCO and was a Member of the UNESCO Executive Board.
From April 2005 to September 2008, he served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Austria and Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the International Organizations in Vienna, and, between September 2008 and June 2010, he continued his functions as Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the International Organizations in Vienna.
Between July 2010 and December 2015, he was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Russian Federation, and Ambassador, the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations, Representative of Ukraine to the UN Security Council (between 2015-2019).
He served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the United States of America (2019- 2021), Permanent Observer of Ukraine to the Organization of American States (from January 2020), and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Antigua and Barbuda and to Jamaica (non-resident) from July 2020.
From 2021 is Ambassador at Large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.