State Secretary for Europe Andreja Metelko-Zgombić on Wednesday visited Kyiv together with officials from seven European countries to show support for and solidarity with Ukraine and its people.
Women ministers and state secretaries for European affairs from Austria, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Germany and Romania, together with the vice-president of the European Parliament, visited Ukraine to highlight among other things the position and roles of women in war and post-war reconstruction.
The visit was hosted by Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna. The European officials met with Parliament Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk, his deputy Olena Kondratiuk and MPs as well as with First Lady Olena Zelenska. Together with Ukraine Deputy Interior Minister Meri Akopyan, the European officials visited one of three sites hit by Russian missiles.
The meetings underscored the EU’s readiness to continue helping Ukraine in all areas and condemned the Russian aggression. The officials expressed support for Ukraine’s European perspective and long-term reconstruction as well as the women of Ukraine, who have shown impressive strength, courage, solidarity and resilience in difficult circumstances, including engagement in the military.
“Croatia feels a special empathy for Ukraine. We admire its people’s resistance in a war that is a struggle for sovereignty, territorial integrity and the right to self-determination, as well as a struggle for democracy and freedom – values we share,” Metelko-Zgombić said.
Croatia supports Ukraine’s European aspirations and stands ready to share its experience and knowledge in the pre-accession process. That cooperation has been going on since 2016 and was confirmed by Croatian prime minister’s visit to Ukraine in May 2022 as well as in December 2021, when the Joint Declaration on Ukraine’s European Perspective was signed.
Metelko-Zgombić underlined that Croatia remained committed to offering diplomatic, political, financial, military, humanitarian, technical and other forms of assistance to Ukraine, including providing for its refugees in Croatia. In May, the Croatian Government allocated an additional 4 million euros for humanitarian aid to Ukraine, on top of other forms of assistance currently totalling over 45 million euros.
Recognising Ukraine’s huge needs in demining, which is a prerequisite for post-war reconstruction and development, Croatia expressed readiness for long-term cooperation in that area by implementing its own model of mine action. Concrete projects are already being prepared, to be financed from said amount.
During the visit to the Verkhovna Rada, Metelko-Zgombić recalled the first parliamentary summit of the Crimea Platform recently held in Zagreb, which had sent strong messages of support for Ukraine’s battle for independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as for a rule-based international order, international law, democratic values and the respect for human rights.
The state secretary handed the Verkhovna Rada chairman a print portfolio titled “Ukrainian Rhapsody”, a gift by the Biškupić Collection, with 14 works by Croatian artists and a poem by Luko Paljetak in the form of a dialogue with Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko.
A meeting was organised with humanitarian organisations as well as a visit to an aid distribution centre and a survivor relief centre, which showed the suffering and destruction Ukraine is going through as well as the difficult conditions the people in Kyiv and across Ukraine live in due to Russia’s targeted attacks on the civilian infrastructure and civilians.
Metelko-Zgombić extended her condolences over the casualties in Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia due to Russian shelling as well as over all the losses and innocent victims in Ukraine.
Croatia knows what it is like to be a victim of armed aggression in an imposed war. The state secretary expressed belief that Croatia’s example as well as its European journey could give hope and inspiration to Ukrainian citizens. Croatia, the youngest EU member state, that is marking 30 years of independence this year, defeated a more powerful aggressor, who had occupied as much as 26% of its territory. Despite enormous human and material cost, we have rebuilt our country and society, and achieved our national goals of joining NATO and the EU.
Together with Ukraine deputy interior minister, the European officials visited one of three sites hit by Russian missiles.
Metelko-Zgombić visited Croatian language professors at the Croatian Centre for Language and Culture at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, where Croatian has been taught for 31 years now.
A candle was also lit at the memorial to the victims of the Holodomor.
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