Ukraine, Lithuania boost bilateral trade
2011-04-20 17:26:37
In 2010 the trade turnover between Ukraine and Lithuania increased by 50%, Ukraine's Prime Ministers Mykola Azarov and his Lithuanian counterpart Andrius Kubilius said at a meeting in Kyiv, the press office of the Ukrainian government reported Wednesday.
The sides, in particular, called for deepening of inter-governmental and interparliamentary dialogue. "Of course, the mechanism of bilateral cooperation - the Intergovernmental Commission, the Interparliamentary Assembly on Trade-Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation should be more actively involved in the development of our relations," Azarov emphasized.
The heads of government also discussed the need to increase mutual trade and hold a joint business forum. Lithuania, in particular, has expressed interest in increasing the supply of electricity from Ukraine and developing the Viking high-speed railway project.
In addition, Azarov and Kubilius focused on the negotiation process to create a free trade area between Ukraine and the European Union, where Lithuania has expressed its support for the Ukrainian side.
"We want that free trade area talks were as efficient as possible, and the rapprochement of Ukraine and the European Union we see as one of our strategic objectives," Kubilius stressed, noting that Ukraine and Lithuania have the potential for cooperation.
As reported, Lithuania and Ukraine in May-June 2011 intend to discuss the delivery of Ukrainian electricity to the Lithuanian market. In October 2010, President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych and President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite signed the road map for strategic partnership between the two countries for 2011-2012.