Published in Interfax

Ukraine and the European Union have made significant progress on their way to signing a new agreement of association, Ukrainian Vice Premier Hryhoriy Nemyria has said.

"A strategy for political association and economic integration will be the core of this agreement," he said while opening a meeting of the third Ukraine-Europe forum in Kyiv on Thursday.

Nemyria said that the creation of a free trade area would be an important component of this agreement. He expressed regret that Ukraine still has no strategic foreign direct investment from Europe.

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Published in Kyiv Post

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission might return to Ukraine within the next two weeks in order to resolve the question of continuing its cooperation with the country under a stand-by loan program, Vice Premier Hryhoriy Nemyria has said.

Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and the fund's leadership agreed on Wednesday that the "IMF mission is ready to return to Ukraine next week or within ten to 12 days," he told the Fifth TV Channel late on Wednesday.

Nemyria said that the IMF is ready to accept the state budget's deficit of 3% if the country receives additional funds from other sources to cover this deficit.

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Published in Kyiv Post

The Cabinet of Ministers is expecting the IMF mission to return to Ukraine to complete the revision of its cooperation program with Ukraine in the next two weeks, and to provide the second tranche of the IMF stand by loan in March, Vice-Premier Hryhoriy Nemyria has said.

"We are expecting the third tranche in May," he said at a briefing in Kyiv on Tuesday.

The vice-premier stressed that a key condition for the completion of the talks on revising the cooperation program is the passing of a joint declaration of by the government and the president about their readiness to pursue joint anti-crisis policies, which will also be signed by the National Bank of Ukraine's acting governor and the finance minister.

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Published in ZIK

The Ukrainian cabinet seeks cooperation with Sweden in the area of energy diversification, Premier Yulia Tymoshenko told Swedish businessmen who specialize in developing and utilization of renewable energy sources, the cabinet Feb. 23 press service release runs.

"We are looking for large-scale projects and would like Sweden, a recognized authority in this area, to become our strategic partner,” the premier said. Tymoshenko informed that, as of next year, Ukraine will have to buy the natural gas at market prices and is, therefore, interested in implementing projects aimed at energy production from alternative kinds of fuel. The share of renewable energy supplies in Ukraine’s energy balance is a mere 0.83% while in Europe it stands at 25%.

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Published in Inform issue #104
See the full issue here.

Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has moved to assure financial markets that Ukraine will not default on its national debt. The statement was warmly received by anxious investors and by analysts who are in agreement that Ukraine’s fundamentals are strong enough to avoid a default situation.

The new finance minister does however face a daunting challenge. Ukraine’s economy is bearing the full brunt of the global financial crisis. The perfect storm of a drop in the demand for steel, chemicals and commodities, combined with a burst banking and credit bubble, coupled with a massive withdrawal of foreign capital has seen the economy nosedive.

Industrial production dropped by 34 percent in January compared to the previous year and the value of the hryvnia has nearly halved during the past 6 months. Some 75 percent of the value of Kyiv’s fledgling stock market has been wiped out and inflation is running at around 22 percent. The hryvnia, which is still under pressure, closed on Friday at 8.52 to the dollar.

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Published in APA

Three countries should not become victims of US-Russia dialogue.

“We should work so that Georgia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan do not become victims of US-Russia dialogue. If we sacrifice these republics, Russia’s integration into the world will slow.

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Published in Kyiv Post

The Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers, along with the World Bank (WB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), has drafted a resolution on a scheme to recapitalize commercial banks, according to Premier Yulia Tymoshenko.

"Along with the World Bank, the EBRD, the IMF and the NBU, we have drafted today a resolution by the government on a scheme to recapitalize commercial banks, taking into account, using this recapitalization, the purchase of some shares at national private commercial banks in order to cover the losses of the banks," she said while opening a government meeting on Wednesday.

Tymoshenko said that this would help the country's banking system "return to stable work."

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Published in Inform issue #103
See the full issue here.

Ukraine’s government has expressed its eagerness to continue dialogue with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). On Friday, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko summed up the government’s position by saying “Ukraine was counting upon further cooperation with the IMF.”

Speaking after a meeting with Japanese business leaders the premier remarked, “We are convinced that the programme of cooperation, which was opened on the basis of Ukraine being granted financial tranches from the IMF, will be furthered.”

The day before, IMF spokesman David Hawley said that discussions with the government were continuing over “the need to find agreement on how to contain the general government deficit in 2009." Mr Hawley appealed for “strong crisis management” and noted that Ukraine’s approaches to foreign states for loans would only temporarily alleviate the country’s financial difficulties.

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Published by The Government Press Office

Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko has hailed signing of Agreement between Japan and International Monetary Fund on loan in USD 100 billion for 5 years from the Government of Japan. The Head of Government announced today at a meeting with delegations of Japanese corporations Sumitomo, Marubeni, Mitsubishi, Itochu, Sojitz, Mitsui. According to Yulia Tymoshenko, IMF will direct these funds to support the states which have suffered in the result of the world financial crunch.

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Published by The Government Press Office

Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko states that Ukraine is interested in attracting investments from powerful Japanese corporations. She declared this during a meeting with the heads of Japanese corporations Sumitomo, Marubeni, Mitsubishi, Itochu, Sojitz, Mitsui.

“With the support of the Government of Ukraine we can develop high-quality cooperation with Japanese corporations, even in these challenging times of global financial crisis.” Yulia Tymoshenko stated. She assured that the Government would encourage maximum transparency and simplify bureaucratic procedures to attract investments: “Democracy is developing successfully in Ukraine, where transparent relations in investment systems are already established, compared to other countries in the region.” The head of government therefore stressed that Ukraine may become an ideal country for Japan to implement large investment projects.    

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Published in Inform issue #102
See the full issue here.

Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has called for a unified pricing structure for gas supply and transit for European states. She made the call on Saturday while attending the 45th Munich Security Conference.

Ukraine’s premier spoke at a session that addressed the theme, "NATO, Russia, Oil & Gas and the Middle East: The Future of European Security." She remarked that the recent gas dispute with Russia highlighted the need for a single European energy policy and that the lack of a unified pricing structure had led to a wide disparity in prices for gas supply and transit.

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Source: ICTV / BBC

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko called on the EU to make a uniform system of pricing gas and calculating gas transit rates, dismissed allegations that her cabinet was in talks with Russia for a loan with special conditions attached, commented on Ukraine's NATO aspirations and met a number of foreign officials in Munich on 7 February. She was taking part in the 45th annual Conference on Security Policy, the Ukrainian ICTV television channel said on the same day.

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Published in Kyiv Post

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, at a meeting in Munich on Saturday, discussed the outlook for Ukrainian-American relations and regional security problems, Tymoshenko's spokeswoman, Maryna Soroka, told reporters.

During the meeting, held on the fringes of the 45th annual Munich Security Conference, Tymoshenko offered congratulations on Barack Obama's "brilliant victory" at the presidential election and said his presidency meant "new opportunities for closer partnership with Ukraine."

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Published by the Press Service of the Ukrainian Government

Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko held a working breakfast with President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso.
 
During the meeting the sides discussed the state and prospects of cooperation of Ukraine and the European Union. Special attention was focused on the ways of strengthening the energy security. In particular, the matter concerned the stability of natural gas supply and transit. 
 
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Published in UNIAN

February 6-7, Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko is to visit Germany to participate in the Munich Security Conference.

European security, in particular, energy is expected to be discussed.

13 heads of state and government, as well as 46 ministers and 6 heads of international organizations have announced their attendance at the 45th International Security Conference. In, particular, the conference will be attended by NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana, President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso, German Chancellor of Angela Merkel, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, U.S. Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and others.

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Published by the Government Press Service

Today, Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko held a meeting with Director of the European Department of the International Monetary Fund Marek Belka.

The sides discussed the prospects of bilateral cooperation between Ukraine and the IMF and Ukraine’s implementation of the Stand-By Arrangement.

During the meeting Yulia Tymoshenko informed Mr. Belka about the Ukrainian Government’s efforts at overcoming the consequences of the global financial crisis in the country and expressed gratitude for supporting Ukraine on the part of the IMF.

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Sources from NRCU and DPA

Ukraine's parliament again supported Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko when it failed to pass a motion of no-confidence initiated by the pro-Russian Party of Regions. A total of 203 MPs, almost all from the Party of Regions, voted in favor of considering a no confidence motion, but failed to obtain the 226 votes needed to pass. The result was a victory first and foremost for Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who had predicted the no confidence motion would fail to reach the parliament floor, after her enemies had argued the Tymoshenko government was doomed.

This is the second attempt by the opposition to push a vote of non-confidence against Tymoshenko's Cabinet. In July 2008, the Party of Regions tried to dismiss this government but failed with only 174 MPs backing the motion.

Published in Kyiv Post

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko will meet with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden in the frames of the Munich Security Conference and will visit France early in March.

This week Tymoshenko will take part in the Munich Conference on Security Policy, where she will meet with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, Ukrainian Vice-Premier Hryhoriy Nemyria said on the 5th channel on Monday.

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Published in Inform issue #101
See the full issue here.

On Friday, President Viktor Yushchenko again vowed that Ukraine would uphold the terms of the gas contract signed by Naftohaz Ukrainy and Gazprom. His pledge overturns a recent statement by Oleksandr Shlapak, the first deputy head of the presidential secretariat, who expressed a willingness to reopen the terms of the deal.

Friday’s statement by the president reaffirms his pledge last week to EU leaders in Brussels. Then Mr Yushchenko said, “The agreements signed are not easy ones, but Ukraine fully takes up the performance (of its commitments) and guarantees fully-fledged transit to European consumers.” A relieved European Commission President José Manuel Barroso described it as “an important step forward.”

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Published in Kyiv Post

Ukraine needs greater support from the European Union in tackling the crisis, moreover, such assistance will help Europe itself overcome the crisis more easily, Ukrainian Vice-Premier Hryhoriy Nemyria said.

"So far, Europe has demonstrated very weak efforts in the new neighborhood policy," he said at the 5th Davos Ukrainian Lunch "Crisis: In & Out," arranged by international investment advisory group EastOne and the Victor Pinchuk Foundation during the World Economic Forum.

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