The second session of the Joint Intergovernmental Qatari-Ukrainian Commission, set to be held soon in Kiev, will mark an important event in bilateral trade and investment spheres, said Ukraine's Ambassador to Qatar, H E Andrii Kuzmenko.
He said preparations were in the final stage for the Second Session of the Joint Intergovernmental Ukrainian-Qatari Commission on Economic, Commercial and Technical Cooperation, which is scheduled for late August - early September 2021 in Kiev.
“It is an important tool in our economic cooperation. I hope that during this event we will sign some new bilateral documents on cooperation,” said Kuzmenko. Speaking to The Peninsula on the occasion of Ukraine’s 30th anniversary of independence, being celebrated today, the envoy highlighted strong bilateral ties between Qatar and Ukraine.
Kuzmenko said Qatar and Ukraine enjoy friendly relations based on trust and mutual respect. He also lauded the humanitarian work and mediation efforts Qatar is making in the international arena.
“Ukraine regards the State of Qatar as one of its key partners in the Gulf region and the Arab world as a whole,” Kuzmenko said.
“And I am glad that we have developed comprehensive and mutually beneficial cooperation with Qatar that over the recent years just intensified on all tracks.” Kuzmenko emphasised that in 2020/21, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Qatar and Ukraine managed to maintain a very intensive political dialogue, having conducted political consultations between ministries in February 2021, a visit by the Ukrainian Interior Minister to Qatar in March and the official visit of the President of Ukraine in April this year.
“We are extremely pleased to witness permanent growth in bilateral trade volume, acceleration of the business contacts between our states, and beginning of substantive cooperation in investment sphere,” he said. In April 2021, 16 bilateral documents were signed between Qatar and Ukraine on deepening cooperation in various fields, particularly agriculture, culture and sports, investments, energy, legal field, infrastructure and others.
He said Qatar was a very important partner for Ukraine particularly in trade, economy and investment spheres. “In 2020 the total volume of trade between Ukraine and Qatar amounted to $146.126m, which are record-high figures in the history of our bilateral relations. Nevertheless, there is still significant untapped potential for its further expansion and diversification,” he said.
He said bilateral trade volume during the first five months of 2021 almost doubled from the same period last year.
Kuzmenko said Ukraine also offers favourable conditions to foreign investors. “Ukraine is highly interested in boosting our cooperation in the sphere of investment. I hope our joint work with Qatari friends on this track will yield results in the near future and will lead to an increase in Qatari investments in Ukraine’s economy,” he said.
As result of an agreement between Ukraine and Qatar Museums, visitors to museums in Qatar are expected to also get Ukrainian-language audio guide soon.
According to Kuzmenko, introduction of Ukrainian-language audio guide will be the first such project in Qatar, and Ukrainian language will be the first foreign language other than English to be heard in the museums of Qatar.
Kuzmenko also praised the contribution of Qatar to the global efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, humanitarian work and negotiations in the international platform.
“Ukraine commends the mediation efforts of the State of Qatar in the international arena, in particular towards finding a solution for the situation in Afghanistan,” he said.
At present around 1,500 Ukrainian citizens reside in Qatar, majority of them working in the hospitality industry. There are also many Ukrainian sports coaches, doctors, musicians and engineers in Qatar.
