Mykola Stanislavovych Tochytskyi (Ukrainian: Микола Станіславович Точицький; born 22 September 1967), is a Ukrainian diplomat and politician who is currently the Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications since 5 September 2024. He served as the deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2021 to 2024, the Ambassador to Belgium from 2016 to 2021, as well as a Representative of Ukraine to the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

, and concurrently as the Ambassador to

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

throughout that same term. Tochytskyi also was the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the

Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; , CdE) is an international organisation with the goal of upholding human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it is Europe's oldest intergovernmental organisation, represe ...

from 2010 to 2016, and formerly the Consul General of Ukraine in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

from 2005 to 2008.

Biography

Mykola Tochytskyi was born in

Vinnytsia Vinnytsia ( ; , ) is a city in west-central Ukraine, located on the banks of the Southern Bug. It serves as the administrative centre, administrative center of Vinnytsia Oblast. It is the largest city in the historic region of Podillia. It also s ...

on 22 September 1967. He graduated from Uladiv High School in Uladivske. From 1985 to 1987, he served in the

Soviet Army The Soviet Ground Forces () was the land warfare service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces from 1946 to 1992. It was preceded by the Red Army. After the Soviet Union ceased to exist in December 1991, the Ground Forces remained under th ...

. In 1993, he graduated from the

Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv The Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (; also known as Kyiv University, Shevchenko University, or KNU) is a public university in Kyiv, Ukraine. The university is the third-oldest university in Ukraine after the University of Lviv and ...

, as a translator of French and English. From 1993 to 1995, he was an Attaché, a Third Secretary of the Department of Arms Control and Disarmament of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. In 1995, he graduated from the Institute of International Relations at Kyiv State University, as an international lawyer, with the thesis of the "Legitimacy of the use of nuclear weapons". From 1995 to 1998, Tochytskyi was the Third, Second Secretary of the Embassy of Ukraine in Belgium, in combination with the works with Benelux, OPCW,

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

, and the

. He dealt with Ukraine's cooperation with

in the framework of the

Partnership for Peace The Partnership for Peace (PfP; ) is a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) program aimed at creating trust and cooperation between the member states of NATO and other states mostly in Europe, including post-Soviet states; 18 states are ...

, the development of a Memorandum of Understanding on Civil Emergency Planning between the Ministry of Emergencies of Ukraine and NATO, and Ukraine's cooperation with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical and Biological Weapons (OPCW). From 1998 and 1999, he was promoted to the First Secretary of the Department of Nuclear Disarmament and Strategic Arms Limitation of the Department of Arms Control and Scientific and Technical Cooperation of the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (, ) is the ministry of the Ukrainian government that oversees the foreign relations of Ukraine. The head of the ministry is the Minister of Foreign Affairs. History Originally, the ministry was estab ...

. He studied and graduated from the Geneva Center for Security Policy in 1999. From 1999 to 2000, he was the First Secretary of the

OSCE The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is a regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization comprising member states in Europe, North America, and Asia. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, the pr ...

Division and the

of the European Integration Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. From 2000 to 2001, he was an adviser to the

and European Security Division in the Policy and Security Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, dealing with Euro-Atlantic security issues and the NATO Cooperation Program. From 2001 to 2003, he was an adviser to the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

, as his responsibilities included cooperation with the PACE, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe, and the Venice Commission. From 2003 to 2004, he was the First Deputy, Director of the Cabinet of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. In 2004 to 2005, he was the head of the Consular Service Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. In 2005 to 2008, Tochytskyi

Consul General A consul is an official representative of a government who resides in a foreign country to assist and protect citizens of the consul's country, and to promote and facilitate commercial and diplomatic relations between the two countries. A consu ...

of Ukraine in

. From 2008 to 2010, he was the First Deputy, Head of the Main Service for International Cooperation of the Secretariat of the President of Ukraine. He participated in negotiations to free Faina from the captivity of pirates.

As a Permanent Representative to the
Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; , CdE) is an international organisation with the goal of upholding human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it is Europe's oldest intergovernmental organisation, represe ...

In 2010, Tochytskyi became the Permanent Representative to the

. For the first time in the recent history of Ukraine, he chaired the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, and participated in the signing of the European Convention on Protection. Tochytskyi's diplomatic career has a special place in his diplomatic career, which he conducts together with his wife, Tamara Tochytska. In 2011, he held his first Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe for the first time in the history of Ukraine. During this period, exhibitions of Ukrainian artists, Yuriy Nahulko, Viktor Sevastyanov, and Zoy Skoropadenko took place in Strasbourg. The music program included concerts by Ukrainian singer of Solomiya Olena Karpenko, and the chamber orchestra "Academy" of the Lviv National Music Academy named after Mykola Lysenko under the direction of Ukrainian composer

Myroslav Skoryk Myroslav Mykhailovych Skoryk (; 13 July 1938 – 1 June 2020) was a List of Ukrainian composers, Ukrainian composer and teacher. His music is contemporary in style and contains stylistic traits from Ukrainian folk music traditions. Skoryk wa ...

. Throughout the years, the Council of Europe hosted weeks of Ukrainian regions: the

Vinnytsia Oblast Vinnytsia Oblast (, ), also referred to as Vinnychchyna (), is an oblasts of Ukraine, oblast in central Ukraine. Its capital city, administrative center is Vinnytsia. The oblast has a population of History Vinnytsia Oblast, first established on ...

in 2011, the

Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Dnipropetrovsk Oblast (), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in simultaneously southern, eastern and central Ukraine, the most important industrial region of the country. It was created on February 27, 1932. Dnipropetro ...

in 2012, and the

Autonomous Republic of Crimea The Autonomous Republic of Crimea is a ''de jure'' administrative division of Ukraine encompassing most of Crimea that was unilaterally annexed by Russia in 2014. The Autonomous Republic of Crimea occupies most of the peninsula, With the beginning of the Russian aggression against Ukraine in February 2014, during the

Revolution of Dignity The Revolution of Dignity (), also known as the Maidan Revolution or the Ukrainian Revolution, took place in Ukraine in February 2014 at the end of the Euromaidan protests, when deadly clashes between protesters and state forces in the capit ...

, Tochytskyi focus of cultural projects of Ukrainian diplomacy in Strasbourg was shifted towards the humanitarian component with charity fairs were held together with the Ukrainian community, and political prisoners in Russia and the occupied

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

, which would drew attention to acute issues related to the aggression. On 4 February 2016, Tochytskyi left as the Permanent Representative to the

, as he was appointed as the ambassador to

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

As an Ambassador

As an ambassador, along with Tamara, he created a large-scale projects of cultural diplomacy and contributed to the annual treatment and rehabilitation of Ukrainian servicemen wounded during the environmental protection at Queen Astrid Military Hospital in Belgium. On the same day, he became the Representative of Ukraine to the EU and the European Atomic Energy Community part-time, and a part-time ambassador to

. As an ambassador in that field, he facilitated the entry into force of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, the Visa-Free Regime, Ukraine's accession to the European Green Course, preparations for the signing of the Common Aviation Area Agreement, and participated in Ukraine-EU-Russia trilateral gas negotiations on gas transit. As an ambassador to Luxembourg, he participated in the conclusion of the Protocol amending the Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation. During Tochytskyi's term as Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg, Ukraine's cultural presence in almost all spheres of art has significantly increased, as painting, music, theater, cinema, and literature covered all regions of the country and the largest cities -

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

Luxembourg City Luxembourg (; ; ), also known as Luxembourg City ( or ; ; or ), is the capital city of Luxembourg and the Communes of Luxembourg, country's most populous commune. Standing at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers in southern Luxe ...

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

Bruges Bruges ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is in the northwest of the country, and is the sixth most populous city in the country. The area of the whole city amoun ...

Arlon Arlon (; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Luxembourg (Belgium), province of Luxembourg in the Ardennes, Belgium. With a population of just over 28,000, it ...

, Liege,

Genk Genk () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality and City status in Belgium, city located in the Belgian Provinces of Belgium, province of Limburg (Belgium), Limburg near Hasselt. The municipality comprises only the town of Genk itself. It ...

and others. Some significant events of this period are the annual festival "Ukrainian Spring", the Belgian film festival "Bridges East-West", the Luxembourg film festival "CinEast", the participation of the Ukrainian team in the annual festival "EatBrussels"., with the exhibitions of Ukrainian artists Ivan Marchuk, Mykola Telizhenko, Roman Minin, Mykita Kadan, Alevtina Kakhidze, Eduard Belsky, Oleksandr Kudryavchenko, Bohdan Holoyad, Serhiy Sviatchenko, Ihor Musin, Oksana Levchen, Svitlana Lebiga Nadii Senychak and others. During that period, Belgium hosted numerous meetings with contemporary Ukrainian writers, including

Serhiy Zhadan Serhiy Viktorovych Zhadan (pen name: ''Serhiy Zhadan'') (; born 23 August 1974 in Starobilsk, Luhansk oblast, Ukraine) is a Ukrainian writer, musician, translator, and social activist. In early June 2024, Zhadan posted on his Facebook page that ...

, Andriy Kurkov, Oksana Zabuzhko, Maks Livin, Bohdan Kolomiychuk, Pavlo Arye,

Oleh Sentsov Oleh Hennadiiovych SentsovNosorih (Rhino)
labiennale.org ...

, Iryna Karpa,

Kateryna Babkina Kateryna Babkina () (born 22 July 1985) is a Ukrainian poet, short story writer, novelist, playwright and screenwriter. The winner of Angelus Central European Literature Award (2021). Career Babkina was born in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine in 1985. ...

, and Gaska Shiyan. Ballet performances of the National Opera of Ukraine named after T. Shevchenko, East Opera of the MV Lysenko Kharkiv National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, Odesa National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, Kharkiv Philharmonic. He participated in the signing on 18 December 2018, of the Implementation Protocol between Ukraine and the Benelux countries on the readmission of persons. In October 2019, a monument to Anna Kyivska, daughter of the Grand Duke of Kyiv

Yaroslav the Wise Yaroslav I Vladimirovich ( 978 – 20 February 1054), better known as Yaroslav the Wise, was Grand Prince of Kiev from 1019 until his death in 1054. He was also earlier Prince of Novgorod from 1010 to 1034 and Prince of Rostov from 987 to 1010, ...

, was unveiled in Arlon as part of the Queen's Way project. He also participated in the signing on 10 February 2021 of the Agreement between Ukraine and Belgium on the implementation of paid activities of some family members of employees of diplomatic missions and consular posts. On 6 April 2021, Tochytskyi was appointed the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. On 5 September 2024, he became the Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tochytskyi, Mykola 1967 births Living people Politicians from Vinnytsia Laureates of the Diploma of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Recipients of the Honorary Diploma of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Deputy foreign ministers of Ukraine Culture ministers of Ukraine Information ministers of Ukraine