Ukrainian-Irish cooperation has great potential, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk has said.

"Our cooperation has great potential for the future - both in terms of establishing cooperation between friendship groups and at the level of heads of parliament," Stefanchuk said at a meeting with Speaker of the Lower House of the Irish Parliament Seán Ó Fearghaíl.

According to the press service of the Verkhovna Rada apparatus, the parties discussed issues of inter-parliamentary cooperation, food security and European integration of Ukraine.

Stefanchuk expressed hope that the lower house of the Irish parliament will continue to provide political support to certain initiatives of Ukraine.

The chairman of the Ukrainian parliament also informed his colleague about daily Russian shelling of Ukrainian ports.

"Today Ukraine is working on using its own humanitarian corridor," Stefanchuk said, adding the need to work on resuming the grain initiative without fulfilling additional conditions from the Kremlin.

Stefanchuk said he counts on Ireland's support for Ukraine's path to the European Union, in particular, in the matter of supporting the start of negotiations on Ukraine's membership in the European Union.

Stefanchuk presented Fearghaíl with a state award of Ukraine – the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, of the second degree – for "his significant personal contribution to strengthening interstate cooperation, supporting state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and popularizing the Ukrainian state in the world."