KYIV. Sept 12 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The 13th Annual Meeting of the Yalta European Strategy (YES) “The World, Europe and Ukraine: storms of changes”, organized by the international civil platform YES, in partnership with the Victor Pinchuk Foundation, will be held in Kyiv on September 15-17.
“The annexation and the war in the heart of Europe have broken the basic international rules. Ukraine has found itself in the center of a “global storm”, but if its initial causes are not removed, it will sooner or later reach everyone. I hope that our western partners realize why our country should remain their priority: without solving the Ukrainian issue, European issues will not be solved,” the founder and member of the Board of the Yalta European Strategy, Victor Pinchuk said in a Thursday press release of YES
The chairman of the YES Board, President of Poland (1997-2007) Alexander Kwasniewski said that Ukraine’s future may be discussed only in the global context and it is not possible any more to talk about the future of the modern world without a debate on Ukraine.
“Ukraine is a test for us all, a test of our commitment to the fundamental values such as freedom of nations, the right of states to sovereignty, peaceful coexistence,” he said.
According to the press release, the plenary sessions and special sections of the forum will take place at the Mystetsky Arsenal museum and cultural center. More than 350 prominent politicians, diplomats, businessmen, civil activists and experts from 20 countries of the world will take part in the work of the forum.
The key topics of the 13th Annual Meeting include possible implications of the forthcoming presidential election in the United States; issues that the united Europe is facing following the Brexit, refugee crisis and growth of populism in the politics; global threats of terrorism and radicalism, and the issue of social inequality and the ways to overcome it on the global scale.
The situation in Ukraine will occupy a particular place in the discussions: the participants will address the state of the reform process and transformations in the country, and what stands in their way, the issues of supporting the democratic development of Ukraine from the part of the West and the prospects for further development of the country. A special discussion will be focused on the relations between Russia and the West under the geopolitical circumstances that have changed.
Special partner of 13th Yalta European Strategy Annual Meeting is Metinvest belonged to Rinat Akhmetov. Other partners are Arawak Energy, Alfa-Bank (Ukraine), DCH Group and the International Renaissance Foundation.
Yalta European Strategy (YES) is the largest social institution of public diplomacy in Eastern Europe, providing an open and equal dialogue on global issues affecting the European Union, Ukraine, Russia and other countries. This non-partisan organization was established in 2004 by the Ukrainian businessman and public figure Victor Pinchuk.
ODESA. Sept 9 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine plans to attract ferry operators from Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey to solve the problems of downtime of transit goods, in particular at Illichivsk port (Odesa region, Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan told reporters at a briefing in Odesa.
“We have held talks with a number of operators from Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey who are willing to come to Ukraine and provide such [ferry] services,” he said.
In addition, Omelyan highlighted the importance of development of the south transit direction (to China and the Persian Gulf) by ferry and rail.
He added he plans in the near future to set up a clear timetable for the passage of such trains in an amount of not less than one or two pairs per week.
The official noted his ministry continues to negotiate with colleagues from Georgia, Azerbaijan and other countries to achieve agreement on a through rate in the direction of China and the Persian Gulf.
KYIV. Sept 9 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine invites investors from Singapore to participate in joint infrastructure projects, Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelian has said.
“Ukraine is open to strategic investors from Singapore. We would be happy to welcome large Singaporean companies operating in the field of sea ports and port infrastructure, traffic management, aviation, railway and bridges,” he said during a meeting with an adviser of at the Transport Ministry of Singapore Yap Ong Heng at the International Transport Conference “Integrated Transport Corridors Europe – Asia” in Odesa on Thursday, the ministry’s press service reported.
Omelian expressed his hope that a law on concessions will be passed by the end of the year, which will allow foreign companies to plan their work in infrastructure in Ukraine for up to 49 years.
According to him, seaports may become most attractive area for foreign business.
“We are open for investors into port infrastructure and companies operating ports,” the minister added.
KYIV. Sept 9 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine’s Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry predicts that grain exports from Ukraine in 2016/17 agricultural year (July-June) will be 39.8 million tonnes.
“Grain supply for the year, taking into consideration carryover stocks, will be 70 million tonnes. Domestic consumption is 23.5 million tonnes. According to our assessments, the export potential is 39.8 million tonnes,” Agricultural Policy and Food Minister Taras Kutoviy said at a government meeting on Thursday.
He said that today 38 million tonnes of grain has been harvested. 55% of 25.5 million tonnes of wheat is bread wheat.
Average yield is 49 centners per ha.
The minister sees a possibility of increasing it by 20% thanks to the increase of yield at small and medium-sized farms.
Kutoviy added that if the yield is increased by 20%, the grain harvest in the country could grow by 8-9 million tonnes.
The minister also said that buckwheat harvest in 2016 would be 174,000 tonnes with domestic demand of 160,000 tonnes.
He said that there would not be a shortage of buckwheat in Ukraine and growth of prices should be monitored at retail chains.
He added that Ukraine sowed 83% of targeted area with rapeseeds or 600,000 ha.
KYIV. Sept 9 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman held a meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The two prime ministers discussed prospects of Ukrainian-Hungarian cooperation and some agreement has been reached.
“At the meeting we agree on stirring up cooperation as part of the Ukrainian-Hungarian intergovernmental commission. Our task is to draw up a medium-term action plan for cooperation between Ukraine and Hungary in infrastructure, energy and agriculture,” Groysman wrote on his Facebook page late on Wednesday.
He said that another important topic was the necessity of exchanging information about movement of goods on the Ukrainian-Hungarian border.
“An agreement would help to fight smuggling, grey imports in the customs area,” the Ukrainian prime minister said.
After a meeting with prime ministers of four countries of the Visegrad Group, Groysman wrote that “the main result of this short, but intensive, visit is the enlargement of prospects for our mutually beneficial cooperation.”
KYIV. Sept 8 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko during a meeting with President of the National Council of Switzerland Christa Markwalder in Kyiv noted an 8.3% rise in Swiss investments in Ukraine in the first half of 2016.
According to the presidential press service, Poroshenko stated this is the first visit of the head of the lower house of the Swiss parliament to Ukraine.
“He expressed hope the next meeting of the Ukrainian-Swiss committee for trade and economic cooperation to be held in Kyiv in late September will contribute to a further increase in the pace of trade and investment between the two countries,” the report says.
The head of state thanked the Swiss side for the principled position as for non-recognition of the occupation of Crimea by the Russian Federation and the steps taken to prevent the use of Switzerland for Russia’s bypassing the sanctions imposed by the EU.
“Poroshenko said Ukraine strictly adheres to the course on the implementation of the Minsk agreements. He noted the prerequisite for progress in resolving the situation in Donbas is Russia’s starting the fulfillment of the obligations undertaken in the sphere of security,” the report reads.
