The Honorary Consulate of Ukraine was opened in Vitebsk

The Honorary Consulate of Ukraine was solemnly opened today on Suvorov Street in Vitebsk.

Ambassador of Ukraine to Belarus Ihor Kyzym noted that the opening of the consulate will contribute to the development of relations between the regions of the Vitebsk region and Ukrainian regions. One of the priority areas of cooperation is the economic sphere.

Ihor Kyzym

"Work on opening the consulate in Vitebsk has been underway for about a year and a half - since my first trip to the city. I then realized that we lacked a Ukrainian presence in the northern region of Belarus. The opening of the consulate will contribute to the recognition of the Vitebsk region in Ukrainian regions," the diplomat noted. "Today I met with the leadership of the Vitebsk region, we are reviewing the entire contractual base of the region with our regions. During a recent forum in Zhytomyr, three agreements with the Odesa, Cherkasy, and Vinnytsia regions, which were signed back in the early 1990s, were revived."

Ihor Kyzym added that decentralization is underway in Ukraine, opening up new opportunities for the regions. "I place great hopes on the honorary consul Ihor Kalinichenko. He is a businessman, and the main focus of his work will be to help establish economic relations so that it is easier for Ukrainian entrepreneurs to start their own businesses in the Vitebsk region. We expect that Vitebsk businesses will also go to Ukraine," the ambassador said.

The diplomat expressed hope that the work of the Ukrainian community in Vitebsk will be activated. The consulate will also assist in resolving issues for Ukrainian citizens during their stay in Belarus and in protecting their rights.

Presidential Aide - Inspector for Vitebsk Region Anatoly Linevich wished that the ties between the Belarusian region and Ukrainian regions would grow into friendly relations between their leaders, which would give a new impetus to bilateral cooperation. "Vitebsk is enjoying quite warm weather for December today. I am confident that the relations between our countries will be the same. We can communicate in our native languages and understand each other, all this strengthens interaction in the economy and social sphere," he said.

Anatoly Linevich

First Deputy Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee Oleg Matskevich emphasized that after the opening of foreign consulates in Vitebsk (for example, Latvia), the work reaches a new level. "It is activated in all directions - economic, cultural, humanitarian. I think that the Ukrainian representation in our city will also contribute to this," he noted.

In January-October, the trade turnover of Vitebsk Region with Ukraine amounted to $264.2 million, including exports - $196.9 million. The volume of supplies to Sumy (an increase of 9 times), Odesa (4.5 times) and Lviv (2 times) regions has significantly increased. The largest share in the trade turnover with Ukraine belongs to Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

BELTA.