Switzerland will hold an international conference on the restoration of Ukraine on July 4-5, the EFE news agency reported on Monday.
The conference, which will be held in Lugano, will be organized by the Swiss government together with Ukrainian representatives. It is expected that the discussion of the restoration of Ukraine will be held in four main directions: social, economic, environmental and infrastructural.
It is expected that the meeting will be attended by delegations from European countries, as well as from Canada and the USA. Representatives of international organizations, including the World Bank, are expected to attend the event.
In parallel with the conference, a cultural program is planned: concerts of classical and jazz music with musicians and artists from Ukraine.
The Ukrainian delegation during the WTO ministerial conference held about two dozen bilateral talks on possible trade liberalization and removal of existing barriers, in particular, in trade in agricultural products, Deputy Economy Minister – Trade Representative of Ukraine Taras Kachka said.
“The main conclusion is that the world believes in Ukraine and is ready to open markets for Ukrainian products. This means that the world believes in our victory over the aggressor,” he wrote on Facebook after the conference.
Kachka also said that Ukraine has sent a request to the European Free Trade Association (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein) to update the free trade agreement, and it will be considered next week within the framework of the EFTA institute.
According to the trade representative, he discussed further steps to liberalize trade, having carried out preparatory work right at the conference, with Canadian Minister of International Trade Mary Ng.
Kachka added that he agreed with the Minister of Trade of Australia in a few days after the conference to discuss in detail the possibilities of liberalizing bilateral trade (GSP and FTA).
The Ukrainian trade representative also said that he had discussed the conclusion of an agreement on digital trade with UK Secretary for International Trade Anne-Marie Trevelyan.
“The same issue – trade liberalization and digital trade – were relevant in a conversation with the Minister of Trade of Singapore. Singapore is ready to become a hub for trade in Ukrainian products in Asia,” Kachka added.
According to him, at a meeting with the Minister of Trade of Senegal, he emphasized that Ukraine is doing everything to increase exports and feed Africa.
“Senegal is chairing the African Union this year and their understanding of the true causes of food problems is very important,” the Ukrainian trade representative said.
AUSTRALIA, CANADA, ICELAND, LIECHTENSTEIN, NORWAY, SWITZERLAND, TRADE LIBERALIZATION
The international conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine after the war will be held in the summer in Lugano, said Swiss President Ignacio Cassis.
“The conference, co-organized by Ukraine with Switzerland, will be held in Lugano, Switzerland in early July this year,” Cassis said at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos on Monday.
According to him, this will be a conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine.
“When the war is over and the guns are silenced, all our efforts must be focused on reconstruction. Let the reconstruction and elimination of Ukraine’s economic consequences go through a broad political and diplomatic process. The Lugano conference is an opportunity to discuss this difficult path to recovery with all key stakeholders. parties, “he added.
According to Cassis, the conference will be a starting point in the process of rebuilding Ukraine.
According to the President of Switzerland, 40 countries and 17 international organizations have been invited to take part in the high-level conference.
Swiss authorities are imposing a ban on coal imports from Russia following a similar decision by the European Union, the Swiss Federal Council said in a statement.
“The new measures include far-reaching sanctions on goods, including a ban on imports of lignite and coal as well as on goods that are important sources of revenue for Russia (e.g. timber, cement, seafood, caviar),” the statement said.
“In addition, there are export bans on goods that can help strengthen Russia’s industrial capacities (e.g. industrial robots or certain chemical products),” the document said.
BANS, COAL, IMPORTS, RUSSIA, SWITZERLAND
Following the European Union, the Swiss authorities have announced the inclusion of an additional number of individuals and organizations in their sanctions lists in connection with the Russian operation in Ukraine. “A further 197 individuals are now subject to financial sanctions and travel restrictions and 9 additional entities are now subject to financial sanctions,” the Swiss government said in a statement.
“Switzerland’s list of sanctions now fully mirrors that of the EU,” it said.
The Russian individuals sanctioned by Switzerland include businessmen Roman Abramovich, Andrei Melnichenko, Alexander Vinokurov, Vadim Moshkovich, Dmitry Pumpyansky and his son Alexander, as well as Dmitry Mazepin and his son Nikita.
The Swiss sanctions also apply to Rostelecom president Mikhail Oseyevsky, entrepreneurs and top managers Andrei Guryev, Dmitry Konov and Mikhail Poluboyarinov, and Channel One general director Konstantin Ernst.
The Russian companies sanctioned by Switzerland are Rosneft Aero, Rosoboronexport, JSC NPO High-Precision Systems, Kurganmashzavod, JSC Russian Helicopters, the United Aircraft Corporation, the United Shipbuilding Corporation, Uralvagonzavod, and JSC Zelenodolsk Plant named after A.M. Gorky.
The Swiss Federal Council has decided to increase humanitarian aid to Ukraine and other countries of the region to CHF 80 million.
“In response to the refugee crisis, the Federal Council, at its meeting on March 11, decided to increase humanitarian assistance to Ukraine to CHF 80 million. With this contribution, Switzerland expresses its solidarity with the people of Ukraine in difficult times,” the Federal Council said in a statement on Friday.
A quarter of this amount will go to help Ukrainian refugees in neighboring countries. Three quarters are intended to help those who remained in Ukraine. The funds will benefit the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, UN agencies, international and local NGO and projects implemented by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in Ukraine.
About 12 million people are currently dependent on emergency assistance as a result of Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
