KYIV. July 22 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine’s Nuclear Fuel state concern and China Nuclear Energy Industry Corporation (CNEIC) have signed a memorandum of cooperation in the nuclear fuel cycle area.
“The memo envisages the analysis of directions of potential cooperation, in particular, in the area of exploration and development of uranium fields, production and processing of uranium ore, modernization of existing mines and a hydrometallurgical plant, introduction of newest technologies in zirconium production, and attraction of investment for developing the nuclear fuel cycle in Ukraine,” the concern said in a report.
According to the report, in the near future a working meeting of specialists will be organized, and CNEIC will study the operation of nuclear industrial enterprises in Ukraine.
Nuclear Fuel was formed in order to organize various elements of the nuclear fuel production cycle in Ukraine, such as the production of nuclear fuel components for nuclear plants and fuel assemblies.
Nuclear Fuel includes four state enterprises: Skhidny Mining and Enrichment Combine, Smoly State Enterprise, Dnipropetrovsk Precision Pipe Plant State Company, and Ukrainian Industrial Technology Scientific Research and Project Exploration Institute.
KYIV. July 22 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The interagency working group on the selection of investment programs and regional development projects, financed at the expense of the State Fund for Regional Development, has approved 82 new investment projects in 12 regions of Ukraine.
The working group made the corresponding decision at a meeting on July 21.
“Given the projects [that were] submitted, sometimes I see that regional state administrations do not fully understand the strategy of the development of their region. They are trying to solve the problems that arise, but that are not associated with the development of the region,” Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Utilities Services Hennadiy Zubko said.
As a result, he urged regional state administrations to expedite the preparation of perspective plans for the development of regions to stimulate the development of investment projects. Zubko refused to rule out changes to the Budget Code, according to which the regions that will be first to provide investment projects will receive additional bonuses.
According to the ministry, 726 investment projects are planed to be implemented by 2018, of which 645 should be implemented in 2015.
KYIV. July 22 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine could take part in Turkish defense programs on the creation of some types of armament, a source in the defense sector has told Interfax-Ukraine.
The source said that among the most discussed initiatives on military cooperation are aircraft engine, armored vehicle and tank production.
“This concern the program of the national Turkish helicopter [which is] being designed on the platform of the European Augusta: Turkey is interested in its own engine. The country also showed interest in cooperation in the program [to produce] a Turkish fighter aircraft, including in the context of joint design and production of the aircraft engine,” the source said.
“The sides are discussing the options of organizing production both at facilities in Ukraine and Turkey, depending on expenses planned by Turkey and the terms of the realization of defense programs. At the present stage, it is mainly the technical discussion, and the economic discussion is at the initial stage,” the source said.
The source said that the sides are working on plans of technological cooperation in armored vehicle and tank production.
“The interest of Turkish partners includes Ukraine’s experience, including in the areas of explosive reactive armor and engine building,” the source said.
“The possibility of Ukraine’s participation in the program on the creation of Turkish third generation main battle tank Altay is being discussed,” the source said.
Urgent issues of Ukrainian-Turkish cooperation, including military cooperation, were discussed during a visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Kyiv in March.
According to the Ukrainian government, armored vehicles, tanks, aircraft engines, radar, navigation devices, communications and missile armament are considered as promising areas of Ukrainian-Turkish military cooperation.
KYIV. July 22 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Board of Directors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) may hold a meeting on July 31 and could decide to provide a new tranche of $1.7 billion to Ukraine, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk has said.
“It is expected that the meeting of the IMF Board could be held on July 31. This would allow Ukraine to receive the new tranche of $1.7 billion,” he said at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
Yatseniuk added that the laws passed by the Ukrainian parliament have opened up additional financial opportunities for Ukraine worth $3.2 billion.
As reported, it was initially planned that the IMF Board would approve the second tranche of $1.7 billion under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) by late June, however the decision was postponed until the end of July.
KYIV. July 22 (Interfax-Ukraine) – When the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) between Ukraine and the European Union comes into effect Ukrainian companies will have to prove the compliance of their products with European standards, Director of the Government’s Office for European Integration of the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers Natalia Hnydiuk has said.
“On January 1, 2016 we would not have all four freedoms linked to the free trade area opened. We would have an opportunity of the use, but we should prove this possibility and prove in steps that [Ukrainian companies]… can supply goods and services to the European Union market,” she told reporters in Kyiv on Tuesday.
She said that the DCFTA will take effect on January 1, 2016, however a lot depends on how effectively Ukraine introduces EU standards, as an open market for European goods and services will quickly start working in the country.
“We have the quota for six groups of goods, but Ukraine does not supply all the goods under other groups’ quotas, and the increase of quotas is the issue to be discussed by the EU,” she said.
Hnydiuk said that in 2015, programs aimed at supporting small and medium businesses, regional development, and the development of media will be realized in Ukraine.
“When we speak about top-priority areas [for Ukraine], we speak about those areas where we can be very concrete… [particularly] state procurement, agriculture, postal services, transportation – we should strongly develop these areas,” she said.
She added that as part of cooperation between Ukraine and the EU a meeting of the Sub-Committee on Energy, Transport and Environment will be held in October.
On July 12-16, the first meeting of the Ukraine-EU Association Committee took place in Brussels (Belgium).
KYIV. July 21 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Bank Trust (Kyiv) will increase its charter capital by UAH 51 million, or 73.91%, to UAH 120 million, by issuing additional shares.
According to a bank report in the information disclosure system of the National Commission on Securities and the Stock Market, its shareholders at a general meeting on July 14 decided to increase the charter capital.
The bank will conduct a private placement of additionally issued shares with a par value of UAH 1.
As reported, in July of this year the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) allowed the co-owner of Ukraine’s large confectionery company AVK, Volodymyr Avramenko, to acquire 100% in Bank Trust.
According to information on the NBU website, as of March 8 the owners of Bank Trust were three citizens of Russia: Ilya Yurov – 44%, Nikolai Fetisov and Sergei Belyaev – 28% each.
Bank Trust was registered in 2007.
Bank Trust ranked 81st among 133 banks operating in the country on April 1, 2015 by total assets (UAH 849.8 million), according to the NBU.
