Former Turkish presidential candidate Sinan Ogan of the ATA (Ancestral Alliance) alliance on Monday expressed support ahead of the second round for current President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Hürriyet newspaper reported.
Ogan, who finished third in the first round of the presidential election and consequently dropped out of further competition, urged his supporters on Sunday to vote for Erdogan.
The second round of the presidential election will be held on May 28. Current President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, head of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), have entered it.
In the first round, Erdoğan received 49.52% of the vote, while Kılıçdaroğlu received 44.88%.
Ogan has about 5%, so experts noted that, given these results, in the second round it is very important to see who this former candidate will support.
Earlier, the Club of Experts analyzed the chances of candidates in the Turkish elections and gave a forecast of the situation. The video is available at the link:
Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Foreign Moroccan Affairs Nassera Bourita during a meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba in Rabat confirmed Morocco’s intention to resume the work of the embassy in Kiev.
According to the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Kuleba invited his Moroccan colleague to visit Ukraine.
Following the talks, the ministers signed a memorandum of cooperation between the Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine named after Gennady Udovenko at the Foreign Ministry and the Moroccan Diplomatic Academy at the Moroccan Foreign Ministry.
“Since my first tour of Africa, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has conducted trainings for more than 200 African diplomats from 16 countries. It was the first attempt of its kind and a huge success story. We have agreed to develop a unique course for Morocco where we will share our experience in Ukrainian military diplomacy, strategic communications, fighting fakes and propaganda, and public diplomacy. This will be our practical contribution to strengthening the sustainability of the countries of the African continent,” the Ukrainian minister concluded.
Kuleba made the first visit of the Ukrainian Foreign Minister to Morocco since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992.
As reported, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister began his second tour of Africa.
A representative of the Citizens for Democratic Development of Bulgaria-Union of Democratic Forces (GERB-UDS) coalition, Maria Gabriel, on Monday returned to President Rumen Radev a mandate to form a government, Bulgarian National Radio reported.
“The folder I am returning is empty because I will not allow it to contain the names of people who got there not through open and clear negotiations, but through backroom deals,” she said in a meeting with Radev.
Shortly before her meeting with the president, Gabrielle briefed the Bulgarian National Assembly. It was also attended by Nikolai Denkov of the Continuing Change-Democratic Bulgaria coalition.
According to Gabrielle, the two coalitions have worked out a formula based on reason rather than emotion in the last 48 hours. The two coalitions, in particular, came to an agreement to run the government on a rotating basis. The plan was for Denkov to lead the cabinet for the first nine months, with Gabrielle as foreign minister, and for the next nine months they would swap portfolios.
According to observers, the rotational management of the government, among other things, served as a stumbling block to the successful formation of the cabinet.
Spring sowing campaign 2023 was completed and 78.5 thousand hectares were sown in five clusters, including 46.3 thousand hectares of corn and 32.2 thousand hectares of sunflower, the holding press-service reported.
“Due to rain and chilly March and April the spring sowing campaign in IMC started only on April 20. However, we managed to hold this sowing campaign in close to optimal time. This year the area under spring crops in the IMC is a bit less than traditionally, taking into account the almost twofold increase in winter wheat sowing in crop rotation 2023”, – the agricultural holding said.
According to the press-service the change of cropping pattern was dictated by military conditions. Corn sown area was reduced in favor of winter wheat, because corn requires more gas and electricity for drying. Thirty-three thousand hectares were set aside for winter wheat, 80% more than traditionally.
In a comment for the Warsaw Stock Exchange, Alex Lissitsa, president of IMC, said that the agricultural holding managed to fully provide itself with pesticides and fertilizers for this season. He called the main problem of the company the lack of personnel.
“This year the human factor is of particular importance. Part of our staff is mobilized and goes to the front. In terms of working in agriculture, we needed to prepare for this, in particular by training other people who could replace existing team members,” stressed Lissitsa.
Commenting on the extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Lissitsa approved the move, but pointed to the impossibility of solving the problems of Ukrainian agricultural exports due to the capacity of this corridor.
“Only effective and normal work of the management bodies in the coordination center can restore proper shipment volumes,” he said and reminded that earlier Russian controllers did a lot to ensure that ships with Ukrainian grain passed through as little as possible.
IMC specializes in the cultivation of grain, oilseeds and milk production in Ukraine. It cultivates about 123,300 hectares of land in Poltava, Chernigov and Sumy regions. The company has a storage capacity of 554 thsd. tons of grains and oilseeds.
By the end of 2021, the holding increased its net profit by 2.5 times compared with 2020 – up to $78.71 million, EBITDA – by 53%, to $110.35 million, revenues – by 12.6%, to $181.69 million.
IMC is one of the 10 largest agricultural companies in Ukraine.
In May 2011, IMK’s shares were listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.
The insurance company “Knyazha Life Vienne Insurance Group” (Kiev) in January-March 2023 collected UAH 14.8 mln of insurance payments, which is 3.8% less than during the same period a year earlier.
This is stated at the web-site of rating agency Standard-Rating, which confirmed the financial strength rating/credit rating of the insurance company at the level uaAA+ according to the results of the first quarter of 2023.
According to the message, the volume of payouts and indemnities, performed by the insurer in the specified period has amounted to UAH 8,870 mln, that is 2,45 times more than in the same period of 2022. Therefore, the level of payouts of the insurer has increased by 34,41 p.p. – up to 59,82%.
Acquisition expenses of the insurer have decreased by 12,01% down to UAH 2,359 mln in the Q1 of 2023 in comparison with the same period of 2022. Net profit has amounted to UAH 3,199 mln.
As of April 1, 2023 assets of the company grew by 2.15% up to UAH 757.626 mln, shareholders’ equity increased by 2.68% up to UAH 116.787 mln, liabilities grew by 2.05% up to UAH 640.839 mln, cash and cash equivalents increased by 67.40% up to UAH 8.499 mln.
Thus, as of the beginning of the Q2 2023 shareholders’ equity has covered 18,22% of liabilities of the insurer, and 1,33% of its liabilities have been secured by cash and cash equivalents.
RA notes that on the reporting date the company has formed a portfolio of financial investments in the amount of UAH 704,336 m, including bank deposits (UAH 144,2 m), and investments into government bonds (UAH 560,136 m).
RA emphasizes that the high level of external support of the company is provided by its shareholder – Vienna Insurance Group Wiener Städtische Versicherung AG, an international insurance group with headquarters in Austria, which is represented by 50 companies in 30 countries and is the leader in the insurance market of Central and Eastern Europe.
Almost 15 percent of Ukrainian producers of building materials suffered as a result of Russia’s aggression, but the sector is capable of providing up to 90 percent of the materials needed to rebuild the country, the USAID press service said.
These are the results of a study conducted by specialists from the public organization Institute for International Economic Research and the state enterprise Ukrpromvneshekspertiza with the assistance of the USAID Economic Support for Ukraine Project (USAID Project).
As reported, in 2022 the USAID project supported a study of the Kyiv School of Economics to assess the extent and cost of damage to infrastructure and residential buildings in Ukraine. According to data as of November 2022, destroyed facilities needed construction materials and equipment worth about $62.8 billion.
“Experts from Ukrpromvneshekspertiza and the Institute for International Economic Research studied the state of production capacity of Ukrainian construction material factories during wartime. They learned that about 15% of these plants were damaged or destroyed, but this sector retains high production capacity for a wide range of building materials and can provide up to 90% of the materials needed,” said USAID Deputy Project Director Brian Milakowski.
In addition, local production of building materials would save about 100,000 jobs, generate $5.6 billion in wages and $4.4 billion in tax revenue.
The results of the study show that the production of sheet glass or electrical switchboard equipment has been virtually eliminated. These materials are imported from EU countries, which affects their cost. At the same time, the construction of factories, including the production of glass, aerated concrete, dry construction mixtures, continues.
Among the problems named in the study were power outages due to damaged energy facilities, difficulties in accessing finance for working capital and capital investment. Some manufacturers pointed to accounts receivable from builders and the potential loss of key engineering personnel due to conscription into the Armed Forces.
For investment activities, the main barriers are recognized high military risks, the inability to obtain loans, the lack of understanding of the market in the long term, the high cost of connecting to the power grid. At the same time, investment activities continue. This concerns the construction of new facilities for the production of glass, gas concrete, dry mixes, cement, mineral wool.
“Ukraine and its partners can be confident in the ability of the domestic construction materials sector to meet most of the needs of the country’s post-war reconstruction. Donors and lenders to Ukraine can focus on this domestic production potential when planning their assistance,” Volodymyr Vlasyuk, director of Ukrpromvneshexpertiza SE, was quoted in the release.
The survey results also highlight opportunities for technical assistance and improved access to financing to overcome specific limitations for further recovery and growth of the sector. For the international community, the construction materials sector can be viewed as a priority for investment and assistance to the war-torn economy.
The USAID Ukraine Economic Support Project (USAID Project) was created to strengthen Ukraine’s economy affected by the Russian invasion.
