by
RUSSIAN EMIRATES
72
ÍÅÄÂÈÆÈÌÎÑÒÜ, ÁÈÇÍÅÑ, ÈÍÂÅÑÒÈÖÈÈ
-Mr.Skrypchenko,howtherelations
betweenbusinesscommunitiesofUkraineand
theUAEwereformed?
Our relations started in1995when the first
Ukrainianbusinessdelegationvisited theUAE.
During thisvisit, agreementsoncooperation
betweenCCI ofUkraineandDubai andSharjah
Emirateswere signed; ourChamberhasalso
initiatedanexhibitionofUkrainian industrial
products in theUAE.
The relationsbetweenour countriesgained
newmomentumafter avisit toUkraine in2002
ofMr. SaeedBin JaberAl Suwaidi, Presidentof the
FederationofUAEChambersofCommerceand
Industrywhohasconductednegotiations in the
CCI ofUkraine,Ministryof ForeignAffairesand
Ministryof EconomyofUkraine. Thisvisit resulted in
theestablishmentofUkraine-UAEBusinessCouncil
and in2005UkrainianTradeCenter in theGulf
countrieswas setup.
-Towhichextent isthepotentialofboth
countriesbeingusedandhowdoyouestimate
prospectsfordevelopingeconomictiesbetween
twocountries?
Todate, theeconomicpotential ofboth
countries isnotbeingused in fullmeasure.
TheCCI ofUkraine isdoing itsbest inorder to
fosterbilateral tradecooperation. Thus, in2002 the
UkrainianchapterofUkraine-UAEBusinessCouncil
was formedheadedbyMr. Sergei Pachkovsky,
Presidentof Investment andPrivatizationAssistance
Fund. I hope theCouncilwill start itsactivities this
yearhavingbothchaptersasplannedbefore.
Apractical resultof theactivitiesof the
Council’sUkrainianchapter isacreationof the
UkrainianTradeCenter in theGulf countries; UTC
assistsUkrainiancompanies inpromotionof their
goodsat regionalmarkets. UkrainianTradeCenter
isofficiallyempowered to representChamberof
Commerceand IndustryofUkraine in theUAEand
all countriesof theGulf.
Thepotential of theMiddleEastmarket is
enormous.Due tovirtually total absenceof the
ownproduction, thecountriesof the regionare
importing thegoodsand services theyneed.
TheUAEaloneare importingannuallydifferent
commoditiesworthUSD35 to40billion.Moreover,
manyneighboringArabian states, countriesof
South-EasternAsiaandNorthernAfricaaremaking
their industrial purchases in theUAEasoneof
the region’smostdevelopedcountries. It renders
the regionevenmoreattractive for settingup
ownbusinessaswemay speakon thepotential
consumermarketof some3billionpeople.
-Mr.Skrypchenko,whicheconomysectors
could, inyouropinion,serveasabasefor
raisingtheeconomicrelationsbetweenUkraine
andtheUAEtoaqualitativelynew level?
Weexpect that theestablishmentofUkrainian
TradeCenter inDubaiwill enhance theeconomic
relationsbetweenour countries. Until now, there
wasahighdemand for ferrousmetalsand ironware
– some80-90%of thewholeUkrainianexports to
theUAE.Otherdomesticproductsare lesspopular
as theanalysisofbilateral trade structureof the
last 2years reveals:machineries–5%, integrated
circuits–2%, clays–1,6%, devicesandappliances
– some2%. As toUkrainian imports from theUAE,
around20%makeagricultural products, 13,2%
-woodandgoods thereof, otherpositionsare
insignificant.
Inorder toexpand trade turnover, the
agreementwas signed in2005between Jebel
Ali FreeZoneAuthority (EmirateofDubai) and
Investment andPrivatizationAssistanceFund (IPAF)
whichwill now represent the interestsof Jafza in
Ukraineand, correspondingly, of thecompanies
registered in Jafza (more than8500worldwide
renownedcompanies). By theway, Jebel Ali Free
Zonewasestablished in1985. Today it isoneof
themost successful and rapidlyexpanding free
zones in theworld. Jebel Ali isalsoamajorgoods
transshipmenthubattractingmanycustomers
who seek touseexcellentpossibilitiesofDubai for
export, re-export andgoodsallocation. Thehighly
professional staff of Jebel Ali FreeZone isworking
for the sakeof itscustomers inmanycountries
of theworld. Thus, after receivinga long-term
concession for theoperationof theSouthcontainer
terminal in theharbourofConstanta (Romania),
Sergei Skrypchenko:
“Ukraine
andUAEhave toput into
practice their potential inbilateral
relations”
Interviewof the
President of Chamber of
Commerceand Industry
ofUkraine
