EMBASSY OF UKRAINE TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

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7 May 1998
For immediate release
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President Leonid Kuchma held a working meeting with Borys Tarasyuk, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, who informed the Head of State about the status of Ukraine's cooperation with its neighboring states and the European Union. In particular, issues the upcoming EU-Ukraine Summit and preparations for President Kuchma's visit to Germany were addressed. Foreign Minister Tarasyuk informed Mr.Kuchma about progress made in implementing the Ukrainian President's initiatives with regard to holding in 1999 informal summits of Central European leaders in Lviv and leaders of the Balto-Pontic Region in Crimea.

PRESIDENT KUCHMA: 90% OF REGIONAL LEADERS WILL BE REPLACED

On May 5, President Leonid Kuchma said in Chernyhyv that 90% of regional leaders would be replaced. He made the statement   during a meeting with Chernyhyv regional, district,   and   municipal   leaders  as part of his one-day working visit to the region. He pointed out that many changes have taken place in the government and the changes will continue. Mr. Kuchma also expressed his willingness to    work    with    the   parliament. Mr. Kuchma had earlier met with employees of the Dorogynskoye agricultural enterprise, during which he disclosed his intention to call for a reduction of the tax burden on rural farmers in his annual address to the nation, which he plans to deliver at the newly elected parliament's maiden plenary session on May 12.

EBRD TO ADOPT STRATEGY FOR FURTHER OPERATIONS AND CONSIDER NEW PROJECTS FOR UKRAINE DURING ITS KIEV ANNUAL MEETING

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will adopt a new strategy of further operations and consider new projects for Ukraine during its annual meeting in Kiev, which will open on May 8. As disclosed by Yuri Poluneev, Ukraine's representative in the EBRD, at the press conference in Kiev, 3,000-3,500 delegates are expected to attend this year's   gathering.   According to    Roman Shpek, chairman of the Ukrainian National Agency for Development and European Integration, an agreement on provision of the second tranche of the EBRD loan for development of small and medium businesses in Ukraine is planned to be signed during the meeting.   He   added   that the possibility of implementing a project for development of the Crimean wine industry and cooperation on nuclear technology will   be   considered   as   well.    On  the EBRD's current operations in Ukraine, Mr. Shpek said the bank's investment in the Ukrainian economy has reached 670 million dollars. According to him, 26 joint projects are presently being implemented in the country and Ukraine has become the fifth largest recipient of EBRD loans.

UKRAINE TO HOLD NATIONAL EXHIBITION DURING EBRD GATHERING

Ukraine will be the first nation to hold national exhibitions and presentations during an annual meeting of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. According to the organizing committee's chairman Eduard Simson, the permission provides reason to hope for the commercial success of the event, since similar exhibitions in Russian and Bulgaria were unsuccessful because they were held far away from the venues of the EBRD conference. Mr. Simson disclosed that the exhibition will focus on investment projects and proposals.   He   added   that about   200   large      investment    projects and up  to 1,000 smaller investment proposals will be involved.   Four   regions   of Ukraine will also hold separate investment exhibitions. The exhibition is expected to be opened   on   May 9 by Prime Minister Pustovoitenko and the head of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Business seminars and roundtable conferences will also be held, focusing on the key sectors of the Ukrainian economy that require investments as well as on the most attractive to investors regions.

UKRAINIAN AND NATO CHIEFS OF GENERAL STAFF MEET AT NATO HEADQUARTERS

The Ukrainian Army's chief of General Staff Oleksandr Zatynayko and NATO chiefs of general staff met at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on May 5. The meeting focused on three main issues: criminal security, practical aspects of military cooperation between Ukraine  and  NATO  within  the  framework  of  the  Ukrainian  -  NATO   Distinctive Partnership Charter, and Ukraine's further participation in the Partnership for Peace program. Mr. Zatynayko briefed  his  counterparts  about  Ukraine's  successful military cooperation   with   Poland   and   its   other  neighbors.  He informed about creation of a Ukrainian-Polish military battalion and Ukraine's plans to assist Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic in upgrading T-72 tanks to enable them meet NATO standards. According to him, Ukraine already has a plan for modernization of the tanks. A Ukrainian military delegation also met with a Romanian military delegation in Brussels.

UKRAINE TO HOST BLACK SEA ECONOMIC COOPERATION SUMMIT

The leaders of 11 states of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation will hold their summit in Yalta on June 4-5.  The  organization's  statutes  are expected  to  be  signed during the summit. The final version of the document was recently agreed upon in Yerevan by the foreign ministers of member-states. Ukraine's delegation was headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Anton Buteyko. According to Bohdan Sokolovskyi, head of the Foreign Ministry's department of international economic and scientific cooperation, Ukraine attaches great importance to cooperation within the Black Sea Economic Cooperation. He disclosed that the organization's Black Sea Bank will begin operation next week. He added that Ukraine contributed $17 million to the bank's authorized capital. The bank will finance regional projects.

UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT UDOVENKO CONGRATULATES UNA

The president  of  the  United  Nations  General  Assembly  Hennadi Udovenko has sent a congratulatory message to participants in the 34th Convention of the Ukrainian National Association, which will open on May 15 in Toronto. With about 60,000 members from all Canadian provinces and 29 states of the United States, the Ukrainian National Association is the largest and oldest Ukrainian  organization  in  Northern  America.   In his letter    Mr. Udovenko noted the UNA's support for democratic processes in Ukraine and its service to the Ukrainian communities in Northern America.

UKRAINIAN - RUSSIAN BORDER DELIMITATION PROCESS BEGINS

The Ukrainian-Russian border delimitation process has begun after lengthy negotiations. This was disclosed  at  a  news  briefing  on  May 5,  by  Volodymyr Solovey, head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's CIS department. As disclosed by him, the border issue was discussed, inter alia, during a recent meeting between Ukraine's Foreign Minister Borys Tarasyuk and Russia's Foreign Minister Yevgeni Primakov. The settlement of border issue is also  important  in  view  of  the  pressure by Ukraine's neighbors, particularly Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, which hope for early membership of the European Union. He added that Ukraine cannot expect liberal visa procedures from these countries without resolving its border issues. Mr. Solovey said Ukraine was seriously focused on Europe, adding that "we will not stop our efforts with Russia aimed at achieving specific results in this process."