Within the scope of the working visit to the Republic of Croatia, Volodymyr Lytvyn, Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, met the members of Ukrainian community and friends of Ukraine residing in Croatia, and awarded The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine decorations to them.
V.Lytvyn expressed his gratitude to the attendants of the meeting for their activity aimed at the strengthening of contacts between the countries and promotion of Ukrainian culture and spirituality.
"I am convinced that this is a matter to provide for stability and predictability in our unstable world, - the Head of the Parliament stated. It is science, education and culture that shall alleviate the tension".
The Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine appreciated high level of inter-parliamentary relations between Ukraine and Croatia and called for further development of bilateral relations, esp. in the field of education and culture, between the higher education establishments and creative unions.
V.Lytvyn stressed that experience of Croatia in its pursuit to the European Union is "of great importance for our country".
As far as the foreign policy of Ukraine was concerned, V.Lytvyn assured that "it would not be revised". "It is inadmissible for Ukraine to start consolidation of its independence from scratch", - he stated.
As far as the development of bilateral relations was concerned, the attendants of the meeting stressed that Ukraine had been the first UN participating State that recognized independence of Croatia, while Croatia was one of the States that had been the first to recognize the independence of Ukraine.
The following public figures were decorated with the Honorary Diplomas of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine "for the essential contribution into the development of Ukrainian-Croatian cooperation": Milenko Popović, visiting lecturer of the Ukrainian Studies Department of the faculty of Philosophy of Zagreb University, Yevhen Pashchenko, Head of the Ukrainian Studies Department, Nikola Malić, Honorary Consul of Ukraine in the Republic of Croatia, Ivan Hrynyshyn, Dean of Greek-Catholic Parish of Christ the Lord in Stenivka village, Mykhailo Semeniuk, leader of "Ukraine" Ukrainian cultural and artistic association, Larysa Uhleshych, member of the National Minority Council of the Republic of Croatia.
As it was reported, on Thursday, Volodymyr Lytvyn, Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, makes a working visit to the Republic of Croatia to attend inauguration ceremony of newly elected President of the Republic of Croatia Mr Ivo Josipović.
The Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine shall attend the inauguration ceremony of the President of the Republic of Croatia and meet I.Josipović.
V.Lytvyn shall also meet Jadranka Kosor, Croatian Prime Minister, and Luka Bebić, Speaker of the Croatian Parliament.