KUALA LUMPUR. Aug 4 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko at a meeting with representatives of Malaysian business has reported on his country’s success on the way of key reforms.
“The vision of the country development strategy, which we named “Ukraine 2020,” focuses on the four key areas: structural reforms, security of the state, citizens and business, responsibility and social justice, a proper place for Ukraine in Europe and the world,” the president said at a meeting with businessmen during his official visit to Malaysia.
He noted Ukraine has managed to restore macro-economic stability, there are signs of economic growth, inflation is slowing down, the national currency has stabilized, and the National Bank reserves have been replenished.
“We halved the number of taxes and fees, as well as the number of licenses for doing business. The number of scheduled and unscheduled inspections by the State Tax Service almost halved in 2015 compared with 2013,” Poroshenko said.
The president noted Ukraine and the EU had launched a deep and comprehensive free trade area, which offers great opportunities for investors.
“And we would like to invite you to take advantage of this. Ukraine could become a gateway to the EU market for Malaysian businesses,” Poroshenko said.
KYIV. Aug 4 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The flow of tourists from Ukraine to Turkey for the six months of 2016 increased by 46% compared to the same period in 2015, to 414,994 people.
“Ukraine entered the top ten leading countries in terms of tourist traffic to Turkey in January-June 2016, which is 46% up, and ranked fifth, going ahead of the Netherlands, Greece, the United States, Azerbaijan and France,” the cultural affairs and information department of the Turkish Embassy in Ukraine said.
The report stresses in the six months of 2016 the largest number of tourists came to Turkey from Germany (1.503 million people), Georgia (1.038 million people), Bulgaria (783,429 people) and Britain (693,081 people).
According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Turkish Republic, 160,938 Ukrainians visited the country in June 2016, which is 74% more than in June 2015.
The Turkish ministry stressed the most popular destinations among Ukrainians are Antalya, Istanbul and Mugla.
KYIV. Aug 4 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Ukrainian government is studying the creation of a special fund aimed at financing Ukrainian-Iranian projects, Ukrainian Energy and Coal Industry Minister Ihor Nasalyk said at a meeting with Iranian Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian in Tehran.
The Energy and coal Industry Ministry reported after the meeting on Tuesday that the parties discussed participation of Ukrainian state-run enterprises in building thermal power plants (TPPs) and modernization of power lines in Iran.
Nasalyk said that Ukrainian enterprises have experience in designing, building, maintaining and upgrading power plants, including Iran’s Ramin and Isfahan TPPs.
Chitchian invited Ukraine to participate in state-funded programs of Iran on development of energy infrastructure. He assured the Ukrainian minister that joint Ukrainian-Iranian ventures would receive financial and technical support from the Iranian government.
KYIV. Aug 3 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Public joint-stock company Ukrzaliznytsia intends to use the same cars to form night and day trains and will buy 13 transformer cars from Kriukov Car Building Works (KCBW, Poltava region).
“In the night mode four lower and upper benches of the compartment will be used as comfort sleeping couchettes. In the day mode lower benches will be easily transformed into comfortable seats,” the press service of Ukrzaliznytsia reported on Monday.
The press service said that the cars will be delivered by late 2016 under a contract on supply of 21 passenger cars.
The company is confident that the transformer cars would increase efficiency of car use and increase their average daily run.
The press service said that it is likely that the cars will service the new route Kyiv-Lviv-Ivano-Frankivsk with the night express train and the Intercity train in the day mode.
“The schedule has been formed so that the route will be extended to Vorokhta and Yaremche on the days of peak demand,” the press service said.
KYIV. Aug 3 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Shipments of edible salt to Russia by Ukraine’s state-run enterprise Artyomsol totaled 16,100 tonnes in January through July 2016.
“Artyomsol exports its products to 18 countries. These are CIS countries and EU countries. 329,200 tonnes of salt was shipped to Russia in the first seven months of 2016, including 16,100 tonnes of edible salt,” the company’s press service told Interfax-Ukraine.
In June and July 2016 Artyomsol salt production exceeded the target. Some 30% of salt was shipped to the domestic market and 70% were exported.
The company said that the top-priority task for this year is the reconstruction and modernization of all mines.
This year the company seeks to start producing a new type of products – purified ground salt that will be delivered to the domestic market and for exports.
On January 26, 2015, Russia’s Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor) imposed a ban on imports of edible salt made by Artyomsol and in summer 2016 the company resumed supplies to Russia.
Artyomsol is the largest enterprise engaged in the production and sale of salt (NaCl) in Central and Eastern Europe.
KYIV. Aug 3 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Public joint-stock company Centrenergo by the end of this year seeks to import around 300,000 tonnes of coal via ports, acting Director General Oleh Kozemko has said in an interview with Business Censor online publication.
He said that the oral order was made after a meeting of a working group headed by Deputy Prime Minister Volodymyr Kistion on July 25.
“The company was ordered to diversify supplies. I as acting director general support this. The other question is at what price to buy and how it will be compensated for the company in the tariff. For the chief the key efficiency indicators are profit and profit margin,” he said.
Kozemko said that the purchase price of coal in South Africa is even higher than the price of steam coal with delivery from Rotterdam port under the formula provided by the National Commission for Energy, Housing and Utilities Services Regulation (NCER). Today, the indicative Rotterdam price of one tonne of coal with caloric value of 6,000 kilocalories per kilogram is around $51 (for 12 months) plus freight of around $5.
“The cost of coal included in the wholesale market price is $56 or UAH 1,400 per tonne with caloric value of 6,000 kilocalories per kilogram on the CIF conditions (not taking into account handling and railway tariff). The best offer for coal from South Africa received by Centrenergo is $72 per tonne with delivery to port on the same conditions. The best price for imported coal is $16 more than the Rotterdam price,” he said.
He also said that we will sign contracts to supply coal from South Africa only when he received the state appraisal.
“We are waiting for the document from the Institute of Legal Expertise. We have one question to it: would the purchase of imported coal be considered the loss caused to the company,” he said.
“If the company has a mixture of imported and Ukrainian coal, it will be able to see profit. If Centrenergo has to increase imported coal volumes, the company could see loss. If the company fully switches to imported coal, the indicative price set by the NCER for 2016 would not cover expenses,” Kozemko said.
He recalled that early 2016 the company imported coal from South Africa at $56 per tonne, but its caloric value was 5,200 kilocalories per kilogram.
