Germany is stepping up measures to ensure the safety of its employees in Ukraine, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Saturday, February 12. “I have decided to strengthen the measures already taken to prevent the crisis. At the moment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is holding a meeting with the relevant departments and security agencies to implement these decisions,” the press service of the German Foreign Ministry cited Baerbock’s words on Twitter.
Ukraine’s consulate general has opened in Edmonton, the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta, the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reported on Saturday. According to the report, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin took part in the ceremonial events on the occasion of the opening of the consulate.
“This is a landmark event, through which Ukraine recognizes the special role played by the Ukrainian community in the west of Canada and which opens the door for trade and investment contacts,” Klimkin said after a ribbon cutting ceremony.
The province of Alberta is home to more than 350,000 Canadians of Ukrainian descent. The new consulate general of Ukraine will also service other provinces of Western Canada – Saskatchewan, British Columbia, as well as Yukon and the Northwest Territories.
“This is a pragmatic decision. It is based on geography and on the powerful business potential in Alberta. This is also an emotional decision – we are repaying the debt to the Ukrainians of Prairies who, for generations, built Canada, preserving the dream of an independent Ukraine,” Ukrainian Ambassador to Canada Andriy Shevchenko said.
According to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, the consulate general in Edmonton became the first consulate opened by Ukraine after the beginning of Russian aggression. Prior to that, Ukraine had the embassy in Ottawa and the consulate in Toronto.
Ukraine will open the Consulate General in Canada’s Edmonton on September 7, Ukrainian Ambassador to Canada Andriy Shevchenko has said. “On September 7 this year, we plan to accept the first citizen of Ukraine in Edmonton and thereby start the work of the Ukrainian Consulate General in Alberta province,” he told Interfax-Ukraine. Shevchenko noted that Ukraine’s presence in the western part of Canada will be ensured in this way.
The ambassador expressed hope that the opening of the consulate will be important for establishing contacts with business.
Ukraine’s honorary consulate in Croatia has opened in the Croatian city of Split. “The consulate’s office was opened by the wife of the Ukrainian president, Maryna Poroshenko, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, Croatian Defense Minister, Major General of the Croatian Army Damir Krsticevic, Croatian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Marija Pejcinovic Buric, Croatian Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic, and Split Mayor Andro Krstulovic Opara,” Ukraine’s Honorary Consul in Croatia, President of FC Arsenal Kyiv Ivica Piric wrote on his Facebook page. He noted that he had been waiting for this event for two years.
