Zelensky meets with young people from Carpathian Eight countries
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with young representatives of the countries of the Carpathian macro-region as part of the C8 forum.
The President of Ukraine announced this on Facebook, Ukrinform reports.
“Today, I met with young people from the countries of the Carpathian Eight. They are currently in Ukraine, in our Ivano-Frankivsk region. This is very important because the Carpathian Initiative is about the future and development, and that means young people above all. And we are designing our integration projects, including the C8, with the future of young Ukrainians in mind,” he said.
At the meeting, participants discussed Ukraine’s relations with the countries of the Carpathian macro-region and the importance of unity, as well as conditions for people to return home from abroad and housing support programs.
“I expect the Cabinet of Ministers to step up communication about all the government programs that offer favorable terms for buying a home. We need to fight to keep our young people in Ukraine while encouraging people from other countries to come here and help us rebuild and create,” Zelensky stressed.
According to the Office of the President, about 250 representatives of active youth from the Carpathian regions of Ukraine, Romania, Hungary, Czechia, Slovakia, Poland and Austria took part in the event.
During the discussion, the President spoke about Ukraine’s relations with its neighbors, particularly Poland and Hungary. He stressed that Ukraine and Poland are friends because, first and foremost, they share common values.
According to Zelensky, the development of joint production, mutual investment and participation in Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction will bring the two countries even closer. The President said it was important to build as many bridges as possible with Hungary to bring the two countries closer both politically and at the people-to-people level.
The participants also discussed national communities – an issue relevant to all countries of the Carpathian region. The President believes that people should be proud that their countries are home to many different communities, each of which contributes culturally, historically and linguistically.
“We need to work to ensure that there are no problems for national minorities in Ukraine or for Ukrainians who are minorities in other countries, in our neighboring states. Because these are the same challenges and the same issues,” Zelensky stressed.
As reported by Ukrinform, Zelensky announced the launch of a new format, the Carpathian Eight (C8), bringing together Ukraine, Romania, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Czechia, Austria and Serbia.
During the Carpathian Economic Forum, representatives of the C8 member countries presented a joint investment portfolio of 95 projects worth about €40 billion.
Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine