On Wednesday, January 13, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky had a phone conversation with President of Portugal Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, as was reported by the press-service of the President of Ukraine.
At the beginning of the conversation, the heads of state congratulated each other on Christmas and New Year. Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa for a warm New Year's video greeting for Ukraine.
According to the statement, the leaders discussed important issues of bilateral agenda, first of all, the intensification of trade and economic cooperation and the continuation of dialogue at the highest level.
"I am optimistic about the further increase in the trade turnover of our countries," Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The interlocutors agreed to hold a third meeting of the intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation as soon as possible. The presidents also agreed that important areas for cooperation between Ukraine and Portugal are trade, energy, space infrastructure, digitization, scientific and technical cooperation, etc. The issue f joint distribution of a certified vaccine and the possibility of obtaining it by Ukraine in the near future was also raised during the discussion.
Separately, the presidents touched upon the case of Ihor Homeniuk. Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the Portuguese party for the fair compensation and care for the relatives of the deceased.
In the end, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa praised the contribution of the Ukrainian community to the social and economic development of Portugal. In turn, Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Portugal for the support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The interlocutors also discussed further cooperation on the path of Ukraine's integration into NATO.
“Ukraine's step-by-step rapprochement with NATO on the path to full membership in the Alliance is a guarantee of Ukraine's security. Thank you for supporting the decision to recognize Ukraine as a partner with enhanced opportunities. In this new status, Ukraine looks forward to expanding practical cooperation with NATO. We want to be more actively involved in the practical strengthening of Euro-Atlantic security. Obtaining an action plan for NATO membership by Ukraine is our strategic goal," the President of Ukraine stressed.
Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated his colleague on the beginning of Portugal's presidency of the Council of the European Union and stressed that Ukraine counts on active cooperation and support of Portugal's presidency in the implementation of the agreements of the 22nd EU-Ukraine Summit. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa noted that Ukraine and Portugal are Europe, and he supports the European integration aspirations of our state.
The state leader also discussed the exchange of official visits. Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated the invitation to his Portuguese counterpart to pay an official visit to Ukraine. In response, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa invited Volodymyr Zelensky to pay a visit to Portugal during the period of Portugal's EU Presidency in the first half of 2021.
As was reported by “Apostrophe”, on Tuesday, January 12, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky had an official meeting with the President of the Republic of Moldova Maia Sandu, who is currently in Ukraine with an official visit, as was reported by the official website of the President of Ukraine press service.