The Ukrainian parliament on Tuesday voted to dismiss Volodymyr Ohryzko as foreign minister.

The decision was supported by 250 members of parliament out of 429 who registered to vote.

Experts said Ohryzko was dismissed over his handling of policy, including a territorial dispute with Romania and relations with Russia.

The International Court of Justice ruled in February to award a seabed disputed between Ukraine and Romania, to both, but a larger section of the seabed went to Romania. This was seen by some Ukrainians as a diplomatic failure.

In another incident, in what was seen as an aggressive manner toward Moscow, Ohryzko last month threatened to expel Russian ambassador Viktor Chernomyrdin over his allegedly undiplomatic comments.

Ohryzko is a career diplomat, who began work in 1978. He was appointed first deputy foreign minister in 2005 and foreign minister on Dec. 17, 2007.

(Xinhua News Agency March 3, 2009)