Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva held a video conference with Special Foreign Policy Adviser to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia Vladimir Drobnjak.
The parties focused on the latest steps of Ukraine towards European integration. In particular, Ihor Zhovkva informed his interlocutor of the practical results of the 23rd Ukraine-EU Summit held in Kyiv on October 12, as well as with the expectations of the Ukrainian side from the Eastern Partnership Summit scheduled for December 15 this year.
"Ukraine expects that the results of the Eastern Partnership Summit will be no less ambitious than the results of the recent Ukraine-EU Summit," Ihor Zhovkva said.
The interlocutors also agreed to speed up the process of preparing a bilateral declaration on Ukraine's European perspective.
Ihor Zhovkva noted the personal participation of Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia Andrej Plenković in the inaugural summit of the Crimea Platform on August 23, 2021 in Kyiv and called on the Croatian side to actively participate in further activities within this international mechanism.
The Deputy Head of the Office of the President thanked Croatia for supporting Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspirations, in particular during the NATO Summit in Brussels on June 14 this year. Ihor Zhovkva also informed of the latest steps in the implementation of Ukraine's Annual National Program and expressed hope for the expansion of practical cooperation between our country and NATO in the framework of the enhanced opportunities partnership.
The parties noted positive trends in the growth of bilateral trade, including goods by 18% in the first half of this year. They also emphasized the importance of holding a regular meeting of the Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of the Republic of Croatia.
During the conversation, the interlocutors also discussed measures taken by both countries to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and ensure further vaccination of citizens with quality certified vaccines. Ihor Zhovkva expressed hope that the next wave of the pandemic would be overcome and that Croatia would keep the possibility of unrestricted entry for Ukrainians.