President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has signed decree No. 116/2021 “On the temporary introduction of a visa-free regime for citizens of the People’s Republic of China who enter Ukraine for tourist purposes,” the presidential website reported.
According to the document, in order to develop friendly relations between Ukraine and the People’s Republic of China (PRC), to intensify bilateral cooperation in the field of tourism, from April 1 to September 30, 2021, a visa-free entry to Ukraine and transit travel through Ukrainian territory will be introduced for citizens of the PRC who travel for tourism purposes if the period of their stay in Ukraine does not exceed 30 days during 180 days.
The Cabinet of Ministers was instructed to take measures arising from the decree.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky signed law No. 1328-ih on amendments to the law of Ukraine on the legal status of foreigners and stateless persons on the submission of biometric data by foreigners and stateless persons for visa applications, adopted by the Verkhovna Rada on March 4, 2021.
The presidential press service said on Tuesday, the document is aimed at improving visa procedures and introducing biometric Ukrainian visas for foreigners and stateless persons.
“According to the law, foreigners and stateless persons are obliged to submit their biometric data in the manner prescribed by the Cabinet of Ministers during visa processing, unless otherwise provided by law. Failure to submit biometric data by a foreigner is defined as an additional ground for refusing to grant him a Ukrainian visa,” the press service said.
According to it, the law comes into force on the day following the day of its publication, and enacts six months after its entry into force.
SkyUp (Kyiv) will deny foreign passengers boarding a flight to Ukraine if they do not have a negative PCR test for coronavirus (COVID-19).
“Checking a negative result of a PCR test in foreign citizens is carried out at the check-in counter for a flight or when boarding in case of on-line check-in. Accordingly, in the absence of it such a passenger will be denied check-in or boarding a flight,” the airline told Interfax-Ukraine.
As reported, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine determined a negative result of PCR testing for COVID-19 as a condition of entry into the country.
According to his decision, visitors will be required to provide a negative PCR test result, which was carried out no more than 72 hours before crossing the state border.
The European Union does not recognize the decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin, which prohibits foreigners from owning land in Crimea, and considers its entry into force as yet another attempt to forcibly integrate the illegally-annexed peninsula into Russia, EU Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Nabila Massrali has said.
“The European Union does not recognise the illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula by Russia, which is a clear violation of international law. Therefore, the European Union does not recognise this decree and considers its entry into force as yet another attempt to forcibly integrate the illegally-annexed peninsula into Russia. Crimea is part of Ukraine,” the spokesperson said in a statement released by the European External Action Service on Tuesday.
According to her, this decree is also a violation of international humanitarian law, as it is another step towards the imposition of Russian citizenship on the peninsula, which leads to the arbitrary deprivation of property.
“The European Union calls on Russia to stop all violations of international law on the Crimean peninsula. The European Union is unwavering in its support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, and welcomes Ukraine’s diplomatic efforts to this end,” Massrali said in the statement.
The spokesperson also said the European Union will continue to enforce its non-recognition policy of the illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula, including through restrictive measures.
The Russian presidential decree states that most of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol were added to the list of border territories of Russia, where foreign citizens are prohibited from owning land, entered into force on March 20, 2021, a year after its adoption.
Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Dmytro Razumkov notes the constructive cooperation between Ukraine and Luxembourg at the inter-parliamentary level at international platforms, the Ukrainian parliament said on its website.
“Our states are constructively cooperating on international platforms, in particular, within the PACE. Ukraine appreciates the support that Luxembourg provided even at the beginning of the annexation of Crimea,” Razumkov said at a meeting with representatives of the Foreign and European Affairs Committee of the Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday.
According to the chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, the exchange of visits and the format of personal meetings at various levels are important elements of inter-parliamentary cooperation. “Cooperation and coordination of our parliamentary delegations at international platforms are also important,” he said.
After that, Razumkov invited a delegation from the Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg to visit Ukraine.
The chairman of the parliament believes the members of the Foreign and European Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg will continue to support Ukraine’s efforts to restore its territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders. He drew attention to Ukraine’s attempts to achieve progress in a peaceful settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict. Razumkov also expressed gratitude to Luxembourg for the constant sanctions policy against Russia.
“We remember well that Luxembourg was a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, and it was your representatives who had a clear position and provided assistance to our country,” Razumkov said.
According to the chairman of the parliament, in 2014 Ukraine chose its own path, to the EU and NATO, and this decision is enshrined in the Constitution. “We have made our choice and will not withdraw from it. However, part of our territories is occupied, and we continue to lose our servicemen. We have lost two servicemen over the last four days,” Razumkov said.
Investment company Dragon Capital intends to partially refinance the Grand business center (Kyiv), as well as logistics complexes Diana Lux Logistic (Brovary) and Terminal Kharkiv with a loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in the amount of $12.5 million, the press service of the company reported.
“We are very pleased to begin our cooperation with the EBRD in the field of sustainable real estate investments. This loan will also allow Dragon Capital to expand investments in the commercial real estate sector, especially in the development of our two industrial parks: M10 in Lviv and E40 in Kyiv,” Dragon Capital Head Tomas Fiala is quoted as saying in the press release.
Dragon Capital has already received green certificates for four buildings in its portfolio (including BC Grand) and expects to double them in 2021. In addition, lease agreements for the company’s facilities will now include “green clauses” to minimize environmental impact.
Capital BC Grand (leasable area – 9,100 sq. m.), Diana Lux Logistic (15,000 sq. m.) and Terminal Kharkiv (11,700 sq. m.) were acquired by the company in 2017-2019.
Dragon Capital is one of the largest investment companies in Ukraine. It works in the field of direct investment and financial services, provides a full range of investment banking and brokerage services to corporate and private clients.
The commercial real estate portfolio is managed by Dragon Capital Property Management. As of January 2021, it manages 29 commercial properties, including 13 office properties, six retail properties and ten logistics complexes, with a total area of 662,000 square meters.
