Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Marija Pejčinović Burić 20 August 2018 accompanied Prime Minister Andrej Plenković at the ceremonious opening of a Ukrainian consulate in Split.
The ceremony was also attended by the Ukrainian president’s envoy Maryna Poroshenko, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, Split Mayor Andro Krstulović Opara, and Ukrainian Honorary Consul to Croatia Ivica Pirić.
The opening of the Ukrainian consulate in Split is a confirmation of our excellent relations as well as the friendship cherished by the Croatian and Ukrainian people, Pejčinović Burić said in her address. She added that the consulate would contribute to strengthening overall relations in the areas of economy and culture. There has been a significant increase in the number of Ukrainian visitors to the Adriatic and last year about 80,000 Ukrainians spent their summer vacation here. The consulate will also contribute to the successful humanitarian cooperation. In the past several years, Croatia has hosted more than 2,000 children from the war-torn areas of Ukraine.
In his address, Plenković said that the opening of a Ukrainian consulate was a strong message of friendship between the two countries that have a lot in common, including in terms of their history, and share the same values, expressing confidence that the consulate would help advance economic cooperation and trade and investments between the two countries.
Along with the consulate in Malinska on the Island of Krk, the Split consulate is the second Ukrainian consular representation in Croatia, to be headed by Honorary Consul Ivica Pirić. Pirić expressed gratitude and thanked the local authorities for their support to the idea of opening a consulate in Split.