Governor Maximiliano Pullaro welcomed the Ukrainian Ambassador to Argentina, Yurii Klymenko, to the Government House in the city of Santa Fe on Friday. During the meeting, international relations with the European country were strengthened and plans were discussed for future cooperation agreements in the areas of culture, trade, technical collaboration and business links between companies in both regions.
The official reception featured a performance by the Provincial Police Band. Joining Governor Pullaro were the Minister of Government and Public Innovation, Fabián Bastia; the Secretary for International Relations, Claudio Díaz; and the government spokesperson, Virginia Coudannes.
Following the formal greetings, Pullaro thanked the Ukrainian diplomat for his visit and declared him Guest of Honour of the Province of Santa Fe. For his part, Klymenko expressed his appreciation for the welcome and stated his interest in “deepening regional ties”.
The decree signed by the governor states that the Argentine Republic and Ukraine have long-standing diplomatic and cooperative relations, with Argentina being the first country in Latin America to recognise Ukraine’s independence and establish diplomatic relations with that state.
Furthermore, Santa Fe has maintained ties of cooperation and exchange with that country, promoting initiatives in economic and commercial, scientific and technical, and cultural cooperation, as well as strengthening links with the Ukrainian community living in the province.
Santa Fe’s productive role on the world stage
Once the meeting had concluded, the Ukrainian ambassador expressed his satisfaction with the visit to Santa Fe, noting that “it is a valuable province due to its role in Argentina’s foreign trade, its contribution to agribusiness, metalworking and many other sectors, such as logistics”.
The aim is “to bring Ukraine closer to the province of Santa Fe and to deepen regional relations from our country. We had a very effective and fruitful meeting with Governor Maximiliano Pullaro,” said Klymenko, who also briefed the provincial governor on “Russia’s ongoing, full-scale aggression against our country and our people”.
For his part, the Secretary for International Relations, Claudio Díaz, emphasised that “the possibility is now arising for Ukraine to become a member of the European Union and, in turn, as Santa Fe is part of a state that participates in the Mercosur–European Union agreement, we believe this could accelerate relations between Ukraine, Argentina and our province”.
Despite the dramatic situation currently facing Ukraine, the Government of Santa Fe is considering “moving forward in the future with various forms of cooperation, ranging from cultural ties – given the deep-rooted presence of many people of Ukrainian descent here – to areas of collaboration involving technical cooperation, trade opportunities and links between our companies,” the provincial official added.
