Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Olexandr Mischenko held a meeting with President of the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Hennadii Chyzhykov and Director General of the Federation of Employers of Ukraine Ruslan Illichov.

Olexandr Mischenko emphasised that Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha had identified support for Ukrainian entrepreneurs and the promotion of Ukrainian exports as one of the priority tasks of Ukrainian diplomacy. To advance this objective, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is systematically intensifying engagement, including with the countries of Central Asia, viewing the region as a promising destination for expanding Ukraine’s economic presence.

The participants discussed practical mechanisms for enhancing trade and economic cooperation between Ukraine and the Central Asian countries. These included resuming meetings of the joint intergovernmental commissions on economic cooperation with each of the five countries of the region, establishing or relaunching bilateral business councils, and organising business forums and business missions.

The Deputy Minister stressed that the systematic intensification of Ukraine’s political dialogue with the Central Asian countries should be supported by practical steps in the trade and economic sphere. Close cooperation between diplomacy and business, primarily through the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Federation of Employers of Ukraine, should play an important role in this process.

The parties paid particular attention to establishing permanent platforms for cooperation between the business communities of Ukraine and the Central Asian countries, expanding the participation of Ukrainian companies in exhibitions and trade fairs across the region, holding business forums in conjunction with future high-level visits, developing transport and logistics cooperation, and Ukraine’s participation in the development of the Middle Corridor as an important alternative international transport route. They also discussed opportunities for implementing joint projects with companies from Ukraine’s partner countries.

During the meeting, the participants identified promising areas of cooperation with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. They also considered the existing challenges which Ukrainian businesses are facing in the markets of these countries and possible ways to overcome them.

Following the talks, the parties outlined further areas of joint work aimed at enhancing trade and economic cooperation between Ukraine and the Central Asian countries.