Deputy Head of the President’s Office of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva announced the forthcoming reconstruction of key checkpoints on the Ukrainian-Polish state border due to the inclusion of the border infrastructure between Ukraine and Poland in the Big Construction program.
“Key checkpoints on the Ukrainian-Polish state border are included in the Big Construction national program, which means that they will be reconstructed, and access roads will finished so that our presidents can soon jointly examine the results of this work,” Zhovkva said, following the results of the Consulting Committee of the Presidents of Ukraine and Poland meeting via videoconference with Secretary of State of the President’s Office of Poland Krzysztof Szczerski on Monday, March 29.
A separate item on the meeting’s agenda was the discussion of trade and economic cooperation between Ukraine and Poland. The sides said that “coronavirus pandemic had practically no effect on the volume of trade between the two states.”
When discussing energy issues, the interlocutors noted the exceptional importance of ensuring energy security in Europe and coordinated joint steps to oppose the completion of the Nord Stream 2 project.
The sides also discussed the implementation of joint initiatives in the energy sector, in particular, on the supply of liquefied gas from Qatar to Ukraine through the Polish infrastructure.
In the context of the discussion of Ukraine’s relations with the EU and NATO, the Secretary of State of the President’s Office of Poland assured of Poland’s consistent support for Ukraine’s European and Euro-Atlantic prospects. He positively noted the results of the reforms that our state is introducing in order to achieve the relevant criteria for membership.
The accident of the container ship Ever Given in the Suez Canal, which ran aground and blocked the movement of ships, did not affect the rhythm of the shipment of Ukrainian exports, Stark Shipping has said on Monday.
“Loaded bulk carriers from China do not go to Ukraine, and empty ships do not come from those directions that require passage through the Suez Canal,” the press release said, citing company’s Director for Business Development Andriy Sokolov.
According to him, imports by bulk carriers to Ukraine (in particular bauxite), which are washed and then loaded, also do not pass through the Suez Canal.
According to the company, eight vessels with the cargo of Ukrainian companies such as Nibulon, Cargill, Metinvest, ArcelorMittal got stuck in the Suez Canal. Among the cargo: corn, wheat, iron ore and metal products. Most of them go to China. In general, more than 680,000 tonnes of Ukrainian exports got blocked.
As reported, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on Monday, March 29, announced that the operation to unblock the Suez Canal has been successfully completed.
Stark Shipping is one of the largest shipping agents in Ukraine and provides services in all Ukrainian ports, serves more than 700 ship calls per year, working with international companies operating in the Black Sea ports.
Recent changes in the financial market of Ukraine are favorable for the emergence of investor interest in new instruments, and the investment company Concorde Capital plans to bring about a dozen companies to an initial public offering (IPO) in two years, the founder and CEO of Concorde Capital, Ihor Mazepa, has said.
“I perceive this as a personal challenge and my personal ambition and ambition of my colleagues at Concorde: … I give myself, roughly speaking, two years to bring a good ten companies to an IPO,” Mazepa said at the presentation of the UAH 50-100 million IPO of the Veres Rivne People’s Club in Kyiv.
The CEO of the investment company believes that in recent years there has been a good trend in the market, which was previously observed in the neighboring markets of Eastern Europe and Russia. “When deposit rates fall, the investor has a feeling of discomfort. What I have seen for the last six or nine months: there has been such a huge trend that a class, a huge group of investors has begun to form in the country. Our fellow citizens really brought money to the stock market,” Mazepa said.
According to him, now this money goes to American and European exchanges.
“I want to walk this path, create or return this culture of investment to our country,” the CEO of Concorde Capital said.
He also said the company is developing a phone application for investors that will allow them to buy/sell securities online. According to him, the development cost is up to $1 million, and it can be launched before the end of this year or early next year.
The new computerized transit system (NCTS) will enter the stage of national application from March 17 after four months of testing at four customs, the State Customs Service said.
“From March 17, traders can independently choose one of two systems for placing goods in transit mode: either NCTS, or the national system for controlling the delivery of goods,” the department said on the Telegram channel on Tuesday.
The State Customs Service explained that the first stage, a pilot project for the use of NCTS, has lasted since November. At this stage, only four customs offices worked with the joint transit system: Volynska, Kyivska, Pivnichna and Odeska. At the same time, the traders who took part in the experiment submitted two declarations at the same time: the transit “T1UA” and the usual “EE”.
From March 17, all customs offices will be gradually connected to the NCTS: the first – the customs offices on the western border, then – the largest internal customs offices and then the rest, the department added.
Ukraine’s accession to the joint NCTS transit system makes it possible to speed up customs procedures when goods pass through the Ukrainian-European border in transit.
Some 20% of graduates are going to enter a foreign university, according to results of the sociological survey “Education in Ukraine: how Ukrainian Schools Survived the First Waves of Quarantine.”
In particular, 32% of respondents believe that they will study better at a top Ukrainian university than in Europe, the USA and Canada, 30% believe that it is necessary to study only in Ukraine, 20% – only abroad, and 20% found it difficult to answer.
Also, 61% of respondents believe that the university is an important space for socialization, finding friends and future partners. Some 49% of respondents believe that a certain stereotype has developed in society that education is a key to success, and another 49% say that the university provides an opportunity to start a business with minimal risk.
The online survey was conducted by the Ukrainian Institute for the Future in partnership with New Image Marketing Group from February 25 to March 4, 2021.
1,353 respondents were interviewed. The statistical error is 3.5%.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has invited Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen to join the Crimean Platform and take part in the celebration of the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence.
“Thank you Van der Bellen for supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty & territorial integrity. Grateful that you agree to help speed up Ukraine’s receipt of vaccine under COVAX. Please accept invitations to the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence and to join the Crimean platform,” Zelensky wrote on Twitter on Friday.
The press service of the head of state reported later that in the telephone conversation of the presidents, the main attention was paid to the measures that are being taken in Ukraine and Austria in order to counter the spread of coronavirus and strengthen the protection of citizens. Zelensky also stressed the importance of solidarity distribution of certified vaccines. In turn, Van der Bellen confirmed his readiness to facilitate the accelerated receipt of vaccines in Ukraine within the framework of the COVAX initiative.
“In my opinion, the most important thing is for this vaccine to be of high quality and effective. The sooner Ukraine receives new batches of vaccines, the sooner vaccinations will take place in our country,” Zelensky said.
In addition, the parties agreed that international sanctions against the Russian Federation should be maintained until the full restoration of the territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.
