Ukraine and UAE celebrate the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations

Diplomatic relations between Ukraine and UAE were established 25 years ago, on 15 October 1992, and since then they have been evolving in positive terms, bringing mutual advantage. Ukraine and the UAE have always been and will be partners and friends. The Embassy of Ukraine in the UAE commenced its activities in 1994. Ukraine also opened its Consulate in Dubai in 2012. The Embassy of the UAE in Ukraine has been opened more recently, in 2013, having made contacts between our two states more intensive. Ukraine-UAE high-level political dialogue, which includes cooperation in all spheres, has been maintained on a regular basis. For Ukraine, the UAE is one of the key partners in the region. Ukrainian government considers cooperation with the UAE to be one of strategic priorities of its foreign economic policy in the Middle East. The United Arab Emirates is among those markets that have been prioritized by the recently presented “Export strategy of Ukraine: Road map of strategic trade development 2017 – 2021”. Since the beginning of 2017, our trade turnover have been increasing, with the Ukrainian agricultural products and ferrous metals being among the most traded goods. In the first seven month of 2017, the Ukrainian export of goods to the UAE increased by almost 40% and reached 197 million US dollars. This has led to the UAE becoming the 7th and 11th largest importer of Ukrainian goods in the MENA region and in Asia respectively. The ongoing tendency of increasing the volumes of trade, combined with favorable business climate in the UAE and revival of economic growth in Ukraine together have become a catalyst that stimulated the interest among Ukrainian companies to explore the local market and offer new and unique products to the Emirati customers. Over 25 years, we have been witnessing the strong and fruitful bilateral dialogue between the governmental officials of our countries aimed at creating favorable conditions for further strengthening our economic ties. We count on cooperation between the Ukrainian and Emirati companies as a major factor of triggering the economic cooperation between Ukraine and the UAE. In the Emirate Dubai alone, Ukrainian executives are stakeholders of approximately 250 companies. The leading Ukrainian agricultural, metal and heavy machinery producers such as Motor Sich, Myronivsky Hlibo product (MHP), Interpipe, Metinvest International SA, Incor etc. The Ukrainian Business Council established last year is promoting economic relations between the business communities of the UAE and Ukraine. Plus, the regular exchange of visits by official and business delegations plays an important role in obtaining the most relevant and comprehensive information about the economic opportunities in our countries. Ukraine traditionally actively participates in all major local exhibitions and trade fairs such as Gulfood, IDEX and Dubai Air Show. The UAE in its turn is also represented by its companies on different Ukrainian exhibitions, including the International Specialized Exhibition Arms and Security, Kyiv International Economic Forum etc. Moreover, the upcoming next session of the Ukraine-UAE joint committee on trade and economic cooperation should give an additional impetus to the economic dialogue between Ukraine and UAE. It is also worth noting that the major factor that favors the improvement of business climate in Ukraine is the course towards European integration that our country is following since the Revolution of Dignity in 2014. The implementation of the association agreement between Ukraine and the European Union has brought benefits not only for the Ukrainian citizens that can now travel to the EU visa-free, but also for the local business that enjoys all the benefits of the improved business climate and newly opened EU market. The priority of bilateral relations at present time could be the implementation of joint projects in the spheres of energy, aviation, shipbuilding, metallurgy, industrial and agricultural machinery, chemical and mining industries. Other beneficial fields of cooperation could be science and technology, aerospace, transport infrastructure, agriculture, education, tourism etc. Also our countries cooperate closely within international organizations. During these 25 years 24 bilateral agreements and memoranda have been concluded between Ukraine and UAE. A number of bilateral documents is currently under consideration of the Parties. Speaking about tourism sphere, it is necessary to mention that a great number of Ukrainian tourists visit UAE annually, last year reaching 112 000 people. Also, there is now a growing number of visitors from the UAE who come to Ukraine. This number has almost tripled in the last year compared with the previous years and reached almost one thousand Emiratis. And yes, we expect the number of UAE nationals will continue to grow, especially if we sign the Agreement between the governments of Ukraine and the UAE on mutual abolition of visa requirements. The work on this agreement has started this year and is continuing now. Furthermore, there are approximately 50 direct flights a week between Ukraine and the UAE, operated by “Ukraine International Airlines”, “Flydubai” and “Air Arabia”. As for Ukrainians currently living in the UAE, their number surpassed 11 000 and it continues to grow. They work in different spheres from hospitality and entertainment to IT and financial services. Until recently the Ukrainian community was fragmented, fringe and not organized. But during the last 3 years it became more united, cohesive and active. New bodies, structures and communication platforms have been created, among which the aforementioned Ukrainian Business Council, Ukrainian Children's Club, Book Club and Facebook group “Ukrainians in the UAE”. The first Ukrainian school was opened. Also what brings Ukraine and the UAE together today is security challenge, which includes fight with terrorists. Eventually, insh'allah, both our nations will prevail. Moreover, we think the main achievements of 25 years of relations between our states include strong friendship, mutual support for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual respect and beneficial cooperation. All these factors create a solid basis for the further development of our cooperation.