ЗАСНУВАННЯ ІНСТИТУТУ ПОЧЕСНИХ КОНСУЛІВ УКРАЇНИ В 1918-1923 рр.: ПРАВОВІ ЗАСАДИ ТА КЛЮЧОВІ ОСОБИ

Abstract

The article deals with the content of the first draft regulations for the institution of honorary consuls in Ukraine in 1918-1923, and the circumstances of founding the first missions of honorary consuls. The research was conducted on the basis of archival information from the documents stored in the Central State Archives of Higher Futhorities and Government of Ukraine. The question of establishing the special positions of honorary consuls was raised during the compilation of the Ukrainian State Consular Statute. During the period of the Central Rada there were no concepts regards these positions in the draft regulations related to the establishment of consular service as a public institution. The actual steps to institute the posts of honorary consuls were done in the time of the Directory of the UNR. Firstly the question was put at a meeting of ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions of UNR in Vienna, 18 – August 20, 1920. From January 1921, the Honorary consulates were established in Sweden, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark. Leaders of honorary consulates were searched among the local business elites. Information about candidate was carefully studied before taking a decision on the appointment. The first persons, appointed as a honorary consuls of Ukraine, were the foreigners Harold Simsonen, Simon Kuoni, Johann Hausschild, Wilhelm Christiansen and the Ukrainian Alex Bogolyubskii.