Speaking to Hina, Antonella Tudor-Tomas said more than 500 signatures were collected in Split and more than 200 in Hvar in two days. She said Croats could sign the petition too and that signatures were also being collected in Zadar and Sibenik.
She said the plan was to collect 5,000 signatures to forwarded to the Italian ministry against its July decision to close the consulate in Split on December 1.
Tudor-Tomas said the Italian Foreign Ministry decided last month to close its consulate in Koper, Slovenia too but soon changed its decision, adding that the same could happen in Split.
She said the closure of the consulate in Split would create problems for Italian tourists visiting the Dalmatia region, as they would have to contact the Italian General Consulate in Rijeka or the Embassy in Zagreb for any assistance.
Tudor-Tomas said the Italian Consulate in Split was also important for the Italian pilgrims en route to the Marian shrine at Medjugorje, as well as because of Croatia's recent accession to the European Union. She said the consulate would contribute to Croatian-Italian cooperation within the EU.