President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky reported that he and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev had signed a joint declaration on readiness to implement specific projects in areas of mutual interest of the countries.”This is mutual support for sovereignty and territorial integrity, ensuring peace and stability in the Black Sea-Caspian region and beyond, intensifying cooperation in countering hybrid threats, strengthening cooperation in the defense industry, deepening cooperation within international and regional organizations and forums,” Zelensky wrote on his Facebook page.Zelensky said that Ukraine and Azerbaijan have historically had close and fruitful cooperation and will soon mark 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the states.The head of the Ukrainian state noted an increase in trade between Ukraine and Azerbaijan in 2021, despite the coronavirus pandemic. According to him, the countries do not intend to stop there.”With Mr. President Aliyev, we set ourselves the goal of doubling the volume of bilateral trade in the next two years,” Zelensky said.In addition, plans were discussed in detail with the Azerbaijani delegation on how to fill with new content the cooperation between the two countries in trade, economic, fuel and energy, military-technical, infrastructure, aircraft building, agro-industrial, cultural and humanitarian spheres.The parties also agreed to hold a meeting of the joint intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation in the first half of 2022. In particular, the plans include holding a meeting of the Council of Presidents of Ukraine and Azerbaijan.”I am convinced that the agreements we have reached begin an even more effective, substantive and mutually beneficial stage of strategic partnership of our states,” Zelensky summed up.
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly will visit Ukraine next week, CBC TV channel reports, citing a press statement.
Joly’s office said the trip was meant to reaffirm Canada’s unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
It is noted that meetings are planned between the Canadian Foreign Minister and Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal and Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna.
It is also expected that Joly will visit the Canadian military in Ukraine.
As it is known, 200 Canadian servicemen are in Ukraine as part of the UNIFIER military training mission, they are based in Yavoriv (Lviv region)
The Foreign Ministry of Ukraine is in contact with international partners on countering cyberattacks and strengthening the cybersecurity system, measures are being taken to protect the websites of the Foreign Ministry and consulates abroad, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Oleh Nikolenko said.
On behalf of Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, the Ukrainian diplomatic service has begun additional contacts with international partners to strengthen Ukraine’s ability to counter cyberattacks and develop cyber defense systems.
“A team of specialists from the Foreign Ministry, in cooperation with other involved departments, has already resumed the operation of the website of the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine: mfa.gov.ua,” Nikolenko wrote on his Facebook page.
He noted that as a result of the hacker attack, the content of the website was not damaged, no official information was leaked, and the internal IT systems of the Foreign Ministry are operating as normal.
“We are taking practical measures to strengthen the cyber defense of the Foreign Ministry and Ukrainian embassies and consulates abroad,” Nikolenko added.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky signed decree No.13/2022 on the appointment of a new Ambassador to the Republic of Lithuania.
“To appoint Petro Ivanovych Beshta as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Lithuania,” the president said in the document released on its website.
The trade turnover between Ukraine and Azerbaijan for the first time in seven years has reached an all-time high levels of almost $1 billion, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has said. “The commodity turnover [between Ukraine and Azerbaijan] not only did not decrease, despite what is happening around the world and our states are no exception, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, for the first time in seven years, the trade turnover has reached an all-time high of almost $1 billion “, Zelensky said during a joint briefing with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Kyiv on Thursday.
According to Zelensky, Ukraine and Azerbaijan set a goal to double the volume of joint trade by 2024, increase the amount of joint investments and projects, in particular, the participation of Azerbaijani companies in the Great Construction program, as well as mutual participation in the construction of new infrastructure in both states.
Also, according to the president, Ukraine counts on the active participation of Azerbaijani business in privatization in Ukraine.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky watched online the launch of the Ukrainian Sich-2-30 satellite into orbit, which took place from the launch site at Cape Canaveral in Florida (U.S.), the press service of the head of state reported.
“I believe that this is the beginning of a new phase of the space program of our state. Thanks to the Ukrainian satellite Sich-2-30, we will receive information not only from our partners, but also our own. This is very important,” the President said.
Together with Volodymyr Zelensky, the launch was observed by Head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov, First Vice President of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Volodymyr Horbulin, Head of the National Space Control and Testing Center Volodymyr Prysiazhny.
This spacecraft is a modified version of the Sich-2 satellite. It was delivered into Earth orbit by a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle. The last launch of a Ukrainian satellite took place more than ten years ago.
Chief designer and head of the design bureau of spacecraft, measurement systems and telecommunications at Yuzhne Design Bureau Kostiantyn Bilousov said that Sich-2-30 will provide Ukraine with access to information that it has not had for the past ten years.
According to him, the satellite is designed to receive digital images of the surface of our planet, which can be used in land use, agriculture and forestry, cartography, to control water resources and monitor emergencies and natural disasters in the field of security and defense when illegal activities are detected.
The Ukrainian satellite is also designed to monitor the main parameters of neutral and charged particles of the Earth’s ionosphere and measure the dose of accumulative radiation from cosmic radiation.
After launch, the satellite will be involved in the European Union’s Copernicus Earth Observation Program.
Head of the State Space Agency of Ukraine Volodymyr Taftai said that a lot of work had been done to fulfill Zelensky’s assignment regarding the launch of this satellite.
“We have not launched our satellites for more than eleven years. And this is actually a new era in the launch of Ukrainian-made satellites. I really hope that this is the first of eight satellites that will be manufactured as part of a strategic program that is awaiting approval by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine,” he said.
The spacecraft was developed and manufactured by SE Yangel Yuzhnoye (Pivdenne) Design Bureau together with the Ukrainian enterprises “Khartron-Arkos LTD” (Kharkiv), “NPP “Khartron-Yukom” (Zaporizhia), “Protection and automation of objects NIIRV” (Kharkiv), CB “Arsenal” (Kyiv), State Research Enterprise “Konex” (Lviv), Lviv Center of the Space Research Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, SE “Kyivprylad”.
