Giving the interview to the leading Hungarian Magyar Nemzet newspaper during his working visit to Hungary on June 21, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kostyantyn Hryshchenko said that the European Football Championship "is a serious humanitarian investment", ForUm learned from the FM press office.
"The fans will bring a positive impression of Ukraine to their countries, tell everybody about it and then tens of thousands others will come to our state to personally get acquainted with the Ukrainian cuisine, Ukrainian culture," Hryshchenko said.
According to the minister, on the eve of Euro 2012, Ukraine suffered from slanderous media campaign. "However, the fans coming to Ukraine personally convinced of the groundlessness of the accusations against Ukraine covered by the foreign media, including the Guardian and the BBC," Hryshchenko said.
Commenting on the reluctance of some politicians to attend matches in Ukraine, the Minister said that those who are not interested in football will always find a reason to stay away. "If someone loves watching the matches, sitting with a beer in front of TV, this is his private affair. And we welcome all the fans, including politicians," the head of the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine said.
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