Croatia and Peru share the same position on the need to continue supporting Ukraine in its defence against the Russian invasion, Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman said in Lima on Friday at the start of his two-day visit to Peru.

Grlic-Radman met with his Peruvian counterpart Javier González-Olaechea Franco for the talks on bilateral relations, the two countries’ OECD membership bids and Ukraine, the Croatian ministry of foreign and European affairs stated in a press release on Saturday.

Having in mind that Peru is one of key partners of the European Union in South America, we appreciate Peru’s support to multilateral order, the integrity of the UN Charter and Peru’s clear and unequivocal position on the support to Ukraine. Croatia firmly believes that the support provided to Ukraine is a crucial investment in global peace and stability and we remain committed to supporting Ukraine, said the Croatian minister.

The EU is the third biggest trading partner of Peru and ranks second in terms of investments in that South American country.

Croatia advocates deeper connections between the EU and Latin America, the minister said, and mentioned the role of expat Croats in developing bilateral ties.

Peru was the first country in South America where Croatian immigrants migrants started settling in the 16th century.

During his stay in Lima, Grlic Radman visited the “Dubrovnik” centre for Peruvians of the Croat roots, and awarded certificates on Croatian citizenship to the recipients.

An estimated 200,000 people of Croatian ethnic background are in Peru, the ministry said.

The Dubrovnik centre was established in 1906 and is n important institution for the Croatian expat community in Peru, reads the press release,

In Lima, the Croatian FM also met the Vatican’s Apostolic Nuncio, Paolo Rocco Gualtieri, an Italian prelate.