On Thursday, Volodymyr Lytvyn,
Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine,
attended the inauguration ceremony of Ivo Josipović, newly elected President of the Republic of Croatia.
Before the inauguration ceremony, V.Lytvyn met Jadranka Kosor, Croatian Prime Minister, Stjepan Mesic, Secretary of State of the Foreign Affairs Ministry of the Republic of Croatia, former President of the Republic of Croatia; Presidents of the Republic of Macedonia, Czech Republic, the Republic of Bulgaria; Heads of the Parliaments of the Kingdom of Spain and People´s Democratic Republic of Algeria.
In the interview to the journalists, V.Lytvyn stated that the inauguration ceremony was "a modest one". He believes that Ukraine "should follow this example, as any pompous events are groundless". The principle of "tolerance and continuity of authority" should also be considered. The Head of the Ukrainian Parliament believes that the inauguration ceremony of the newly elected President of Ukraine "shall demonstrate that authorities are civilized and willing to work, assuming common responsibility for the current situation in the country".
As far as the inauguration speech of
the President of Croatia was concerned, V.Lytvyn stressed that "the problems
and sore spots" named by I.Josipović "can be also true of Ukrainian
authorities and community".
After the inauguration ceremony, V.Lytvyn met the newly elected President of the Republic of Croatia. He underscored that the countries had much in common, which opened new prospects of cooperation.
V.Lytvyn and I.Josipović discussed basic aspects of bilateral cooperation in the field of energy and agricultural sectors, tourism, culture and humanitarian field. The parties devoted attention to the issues of visa regime.
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine also discussed the issues of visa regime at the meeting with Luka Bebić, Speaker of the Croatian Parliament. L.Bebić believes that these issues are crucial in view of the growing number of Ukrainian tourists.
V.Lytvyn stated that "our citizens discovered Croatia in terms of holidays and common business, so it is important for Croatia to discover Ukraine". He believes that parliaments of both states shall have a key role. The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine highly appreciated the current level of cooperation between the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the Croatian Sabor, which testifies of the willingness of both countries to extend bilateral relations. The Heads of the Parliaments stressed that the parliaments shall give incentive both to the governments and the Presidents of both States to develop bilateral cooperation.
The Parties also discussed the
aspects of cooperation in the field of road construction, as well as experience
of Croatia
in European integration.
V.Lytvyn stated that Ukraine "shall count on the development of bilateral relations both with the EU member-States, and the candidate countries". He stressed that the crisis "has affected" the trade and economic relations between the countries, which resulted in the reduction of mutual turnover of goods by 80%. Therefore, V.Lytvyn deems necessary to boost cooperation with Croatia to improve the situation.