The opening of a Ukrainian consulate in Split is a strong message of friendship between the two countries that share the same values, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said in the Adriatic city of Split on Monday, adding that the consulate would help advance economic cooperation and trade and investments between the two countries.

Honorary Consul of Ukraine is Ivica Piric, retired Croatian football player and president and co-owner of Arsenal-Kiyv football club.

“Consul Piric showed throughout his professional career, but also with his great heart and expressions of solidarity with Ukrainian children in the last few years, that we can help each other in difficult situations,” Plenkovic said.

Piric organised in 2015 humanitarian efforts to help re-settlers from eastern Ukraine, especially children.

“The fact that Ukraine’s Foreign Minister (Pavlo) Klimkin is here with us shows that we have a lot to do together, to support Ukraine on its European journey, in internal reforms, and its efforts to draw closer to NATO and reintegrate its temporarily occupied areas, using our experience and catalogue of measures for the peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danube region,” Plenkovic said.

Croatia has specific competence in the peaceful reintegration of occupied areas that can help Ukraine, said Foreign Minister Marija Pejcinovic Buric who attended the opening ceremony in the company of Ukrainian President Petro Porosenko’s wife, Marina.

“Over the past two years, we have developed good relations with Ukraine in the economic and political sense. A joint expert task force has already held several meetings regarding European integration and assistance in transition,” Pejcinovic Buric said.

The consulate will contribute to strengthening overall relations, particularly with Split and Dalmatia, in the field of economy and culture, she said.

There has been a significant increase in the number of Ukrainian visitors to the Adriatic. Last year about 80,000 Ukrainians spent their summer vacation here, Pejcinovic Buric added.

Mrs Porosenko said that today was a great day for Ukraine-Croatia relations because the newly opened consulate would help protect the rights of Ukrainian citizens in Croatia as well as improve relations between the two countries and develop relations with the Ukrainian minority in Croatia, one of the oldest Ukrainian minorities in the world.

She conveyed sincere greetings on behalf of President Porosenko, who, she said, considered relations between the two countries to be of great importance and was looking forward to their further development.

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