Opening of Ukraine's vice consulate in Rzeszow will facilitate strategic projects – official

Teresa Kubas-Hul, Voivode of Poland's Podkarpackie Voivodeship, said this in a comment to Ukrinform.

"The opening of the consulate in Rzeszow is a historic moment and a cornerstone for the next stages of our cooperation," she said.

Kubas-Hul recalled that in April 2023, Rzeszow was awarded the title of "City-Rescuer" of Ukraine, and it was already clear at that time that the next logical step would be to open a Ukrainian consular office in the city. The voivodeship is a region bordering Ukraine through which many Ukrainians entered Poland after the start of Russia's full-scale aggression.

She noted that until now the nearest Ukrainian consular office was in Lublin, and for many Ukrainians it was inconvenient to travel such a long distance to resolve consular matters. From now on, tens of thousands of Ukrainians will be able to handle consular formalities in Rzeszow.

Kubas-Hul said that Ukrainians are shedding their blood today not only for their homeland, but also for peace in Europe.

"And just as we have helped, are helping, and will continue to help until the end of the war, we will also support the stage of reconstruction and building a new Ukraine. The opening of the vice consulate will assist this process and support entrepreneurs on both the Polish and Ukrainian sides in implementing joint projects and investments," she added.

Kubas-Hul also stressed that Podkarpackie Voivodeship is a region through which large volumes of military and humanitarian aid are delivered to Ukraine, where a medical hub is operating, and where Rzeszow-Jasionka Airport has fully resumed operations after temporary repairs.

She added that the region is making significant infrastructure investments with cooperation with Ukraine in mind.

"We are implementing major projects related to the reconstruction of the railway line from Rzeszow to the border crossing in Medyka. We are developing a concept for building a new passenger terminal in Przemysl and a cargo terminal at the border. We are currently finalizing a concept for the expansion of the Korczowa border crossing," Kubas-Hul said, noting that these are strategic investments for many years to come.

She also said that Poles in the region are learning from Ukraine's experience in countering Russian disinformation, as well as fighting acts of sabotage.

"We need joint actions, information exchange, and learning from one another, because Ukraine, the Ukrainian authorities, and security services know well how to counter these threats," she said.

According to her, representatives of various Polish institutions regularly meet with their Ukrainian counterparts to adopt experience, jointly develop concrete solutions, and establish procedures.

As reported by Ukrinform, Ukraine's vice consulate was opened in Rzeszow (southeastern Poland) on Monday.

In a comment to Ukrinform, Ukraine's Consul in Rzeszow, Vasyl Yordan, said the vice consulate will officially begin receiving Ukrainian citizens in the second half of December.

The Polish presidential office earlier confirmed an invitation for the Ukrainian leader to visit Warsaw on December 19. During the talks, Volodymyr Zelensky and Karol Nawrocki will discuss security, economic, and historical issues.