‘Seen zoned’ request
“The Ukrainian diplomat may have just vented out his downheartedness to the still ongoing war with Russia that has caused thousands of civilian deaths, including children.
“Here we get a glimpse of the world of politics and the social implications of global events.
“We are requesting a phone call between the President of Ukraine and at that time, Presidentelect Marcos, but we haven’t gotten a reply from the presidential office yet.”
‘Twas a revelation made by Denys Mykhailiuk, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim and Counsellor of the Embassy of Ukraine in Malaysia to Philippine reporters in a virtual press conference on Wednesday.
What initially comes to mind are two new word additions to the urban dictionary — ghosting and seen zoned. When one sends someone a message that has been “seen” but got no response is called “seen zoned”.
Ghosting, on the other hand, refers to the now-common phenomenon of disappearing from a relationship with no confrontation, no closure, or any communication at all.
The case of the unresponded request of Ukraine President Volodymyr O. Zelenskyy cannot be considered ghosting because there is no romantic relationship, platonic relationship, or even a familial relationship between the two countries.
In context, the “seen zone” term may apply given that no feedback was sent to the Ukrainian Embassy, which according to Mykhailiuk, was requested before President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s inauguration on 30 June 2022.
Follow-ups with the Philippines have been made by the Ukrainian government twice a week but in vain.
The reasons are not available but they only become valid until they are made known.
The Ukrainian diplomat may have just vented out his downheartedness to the still ongoing war with Russia that has caused thousands of civilian deaths, including children, not to mention the ballooning costs of a war that has been dragging on since 20 February 2022.
Data from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights as of January 2, 2023, bared a total of 6,919 civilian deaths, of which 429 were children. Injured Ukrainians reached 11,075. These are just estimates and the real numbers could be higher.
A despondent diplomat pleading for help is evident. More than political support on the bilateral level, he was soliciting help with “medical equipment or sanitary goods” needed for more than 12 million displaced Ukrainians.
A day after Mykhailiuk’s press conference, a Department of Foreign Affairs official was quick to call him out.
“What Charge d’Affaires Denys Mykhailiuk did was “not good diplomatic practice,” DFA Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and International Economic Relations Carlos Sorreta said. “It’s not something that we appreciate.”
Here we get a glimpse of the world of politics and the social implications of global events. Nations have to resolve problems peacefully through the two C’s — communication and cooperation.
And the benefits of cooperation are enormous, especially with a country we had a formal bilateral agreement in 1992. After all, diplomacy is listening.