KYIV. July 15 (Interfax-Ukraine) – A document on the completion of talks to create a free trade zone between Ukraine and Canada was signed during Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk’s working visit to Ottawa, Canada, on Tuesday.
Ukraine’s Trade Representative Natalia Mykolska signed the document on behalf of the Ukrainian government, while Director General for Market Access from the Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Marvin Hildebrand signed it on behalf of his country, the Cabinet press service reported.
This document opens a new page in the bilateral relations between Ukraine and Canada and it should deepen Ukrainian-Canadian cooperation, boost mutual investment, according to Yatseniuk. “We have a broad agenda, next steps should be done,” he said.
The provisions of the draft agreement on free trade between Ukraine and Canada are aimed, among other things, at deepening trade and economic cooperation, including in trade in industrial and agricultural goods, intellectual property protection, and the regulation of public procurements.
After the agreement comes into effect, Canada will provide Ukrainian exporters free access to 98% of its commodities market. Ukraine will be given a transition period prior to the liberalization of the market by lifting all import duties.
In addition, Yatseniuk said, Canada will provide technical assistance to Ukraine, “to make the Ukrainian industry competitive.”
“This will open an opportunity to enter not only the Canadian market, but also other international markets,” he said.
KHERSON. July 14 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Investment in the development of Kherson airport has been estimated at UAH 110 million of state funds.
Deputy Head of Kherson Regional State Administration Vadym Chaban said at a press conference on the opening of Kyiv-Kherson flights by Motor Sich Airline that the funds would be gradually used to reconstruct the apron, runway, taxiways, and other infrastructure.
In the future, it is planned to involve private investors in the development of the airport.
Head of Kherson Airlines Hryhoriy Usyk said the airport is negotiating with other airports, in particular Lviv, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, as well as Ukrainian airlines on the implementation of domestic flights to Kherson.
He added the airport is in talks on the implementation of international flights to Kherson.
As reported, Kherson airport was opened after reconstruction in April 2013.
The capacity of the airport is 400 passengers per hour.
The airfield has a 2,500 meters long and 42 meters wide artificial runway, main and auxiliary taxiways, a complex of radio facilities, flight facilities that allows the airport to accept the following types of aircraft: Boeing-737, Airbus-319/320/321, Tu-154, Tu-134, Yak-42, An-24/26/12/148, as well as helicopters of all types.
KYIV. July 14 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Exports of scrap ferrous metals in June this year amounted to 230,000 tonnes, which is the highest monthly value for the last ten years, according to a press release issued by state enterprise Ukrpromzovnishekspertyza.
The press release states that the last time a higher export performance per month was recorded in November 2004 (260,000 tonnes), when over the year exports came to 2.5 million tonnes.
“Such a significant rise in scrap metal supply to foreign markets in June this year was due to exporters’ fulfilling contracts, which were signed at the peak of demand in May. Many vendors understood the inevitability of the decline in export prices during Ramadan, when business activity in Turkey traditionally reduces. Therefore most exporters tried to sell available raw materials before the Muslim religious holidays,” Ukrpromzovnishekspertyza Deputy Director Yuriy Dobrovolsky said.
According to him, the exporters’ actions were fully justified, as prices for exported Ukrainian scrap metal, increasing from $210-220 per tonne FOB in April to $250/tonne FOB in May, in early July again fell to $200-210/tonne FOB.
At the same time, the geographical structure of exports remains stable from month to month.
“In June, about 182,000 tonnes, or 80% of scrap metal, was delivered to Turkey. At the same time, exporters shipped 19%, or 45,000 tonnes of raw materials, to Moldova,” the expert said.
KYIV. July 14 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce will be the co-organizers of the first U.S.-Ukrainian Business Forum which will offer a platform for dialogue between the leaders of U.S. business circles and representatives of the Ukrainian government on the future of bilateral economic and commercial cooperation, U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker has said.
“Our goal is clear: to make Ukraine a more attractive place for doing business,” the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers reported, citing Pritzker.
She said that the American private sector should play an important role in strengthening and stabilizing the Ukrainian market. Many companies that will participate in the forum have already invested in Ukraine. Other companies could become investors in the future.
Pritzker said it is fortunate that the Ukrainian leadership has started to make progress in fighting corruption, increasing transparency, reforming the regulatory system, and increasing confidence in the Ukrainian market.
She said that more events are required and the Monday forum is the “perfect opportunity for American executives to offer specific recommendations about how to enhance the way business is conducted in Ukraine.”
“The Obama Administration is committed to supporting and expanding strong economic relations between the U.S. and Ukraine,” Pritzker added.
KYIV. July 13 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The new strategy of Swiss cooperation with Ukraine in 2015-2018 foresees about CHF100 million being granted in financial aid to Ukraine, which at the average exchange rate on July 10, 2015 is equivalent to about $105 million.
This is according to the Ministry of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Utilities Services, with reference to the press service of Regional Development Minister, Vice Prime Minister Hennadiy Zubko.
“We appreciate the decision to increase fiscal aid to Ukraine to CHF100 million,” Zubko said during the presentation of the strategy on July 9.
He said that in 2011-2014, Switzerland provided Ukraine with a total of CHF57 million of financial aid.
“It is very important for us that the new strategy of Switzerland’s cooperation with Ukraine provides special attention to Ukrainian citizens and territories affected by the armed conflict,” Zubko said.
KYIV. July 13 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said there has been a rapid rise in the trust of Ukrainian citizens in the newly created patrol police in Kyiv.
“The policemen took in tow a car with a died out engine, stopped to help a girl change a tire there, then put handcuffs on a general there, and it’s a miracle. And things keep happening that led to a fantastic, very rapid growth of trust into policemen,” he said during an extended meeting of the collegium of the Interior Ministry of Ukraine in Kyiv on Friday.
In addition, Poroshenko also noted the opposition between the new police with the old force.
“It’s not even an opposition but conflicts, when a corrupt official wasn’t released that [old] police wanted to set free. And it’s a vivid example of what’s appeared in the public now, in the old and new police – two worldviews. The difference between the old and new police shows the essence of Interior Ministry reforms. I’m grateful for the successful start of the project to the government, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov and his Deputy Eka Zguladze,” he said.
