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28 May 1998
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PRESIDENT KUCHMA RECEIVES RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER
On May 27, President Leonid Kuchma received visiting Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeni Primakov. The Russian party stated that the two-day visit was aimed at promoting the implementation of the agreements which the two nations' leaders earlier reached. Mr. Primakov called the talks with his Ukrainian counterpart "good and frank". He also voiced Russia's favorable appraisal of Ukraine's efforts to integrate European structures. In turn, the Ukrainian President urged a more concrete gist for Ukrainian-Russian strategic partnership citing, as a good example, the two nations' cooperation in implementing the AN-70 aircraft project. As the Ukrainian President noted, he was to hold a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart, Boris Yeltsin, later in the day. The two parties also discussed issues relating to the bilateral political treaty's ratification by the Russian State Duma. Other issues the two parties reviewed during their meeting in Kiev involved the Transdniestrian conflict, intra-CIS cooperation and the social-economic situation in Ukraine and Russia. Mr. Primakov informed the host party about the status of the ratification process for START - 2. President Kuchma stressed the significance of the Russian Defense Ministry's decision on Russia's involvement in the Sea Breeze-98 naval exercise to be carried out in the territory of Ukraine.
JOINT STATEMENT ON RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER’S VISIT TO UKRAINE
Following Russian Foreign Minister’s working visit to Kiev on May 26-27, the parties issued a joint statement to this effect referring to their talks as preceding a Ukraine-Russia summit to be held next June. The two parties noted that their countries' relations have become more dynamic of late, and stated that yet another postponement of the Russian - Ukrainian Friendship and Partnership Treaty's ratification is not in the two nations' interests. The parties agreed on the need to enhance effectiveness of trade and economic relations between Russia and Ukraine. Messrs. Primakov and Tarasyuk discussed a package of humanitarian issues, and agreed to shortly hold bipartite consultations to this effect. They voiced their mutual satisfaction over the fact that the Ukrainian-Russian negotiations on borderline delimitation have assumed a practical dimension. The two parties also addressed the issues of intra-CIS cooperation, particularly, the CIS Special Forum meant for improving the CIS's activities. International problems were discussed, too, such as disarmament and control over armaments with the parties stressing the need of furthering nuclear disarmament and tightening the non-proliferation regime. The two foreign ministers condemned India's nuclear tests as likely to trigger a chain reaction in South Asia. The statement refers to the talks in Kiev as marked by a constructive and friendly atmosphere.
EBRD AND OTHER INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS ARE READY TO FINANCE OIL TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS IN UKRAINE
Speaking to journalists in Kiev on May 27, Prime Minister Valeriy Pustovoitenko, fresh from his working trips to Odessa and Crimea, said that the Cabinet's session on May 29 will address, inter alia, issues relating to domestic gas output with a view of diminishing Ukraine's dependence on external supplies of carbohydrate fuels. Though Mr. Pustovoitenko's trip to Odessa was not directly linked to the Illichivsk terminal construction project, he seemed to be outspoken in commenting on the problem of Caspian oil transportation. As he disclosed, during his trip to Baku, Azerbaijan's capital, and his talks in Kiev with Turkish President Suleiman Demirel issues pertinent to projects for transportation of Caspian oil stood prominent on the agenda. According to Mr. Pustovoitenko, he instructed to draft a scheme for increasing crude oil supplies by tankers from Russian port of Novorossisk to Odessa. Such shipments could eventually reach up to 80 million ton of crude oil a year. In his words, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and other international financial institutions are ready to take part in funding Caspian oil transportation projects, given guaranteed supplies of crude oil to Ukraine.
UKRAINE’S NAVY COMMANDER MEETS ALLIED NAVAL FORCES SOUTHERN EUROPE COMMANDER
As reported from Sevastopol, South Crimea, on May 27, ADM. Guizeppe Spinozzi, NATO's Naval Commander in South Europe, arrived there as a part of his official visit to Ukraine. ADM. Spinozzi had talks with RADM. Mykhailo Yezhel, Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine and Ukrainian Navy Commander, focused on cooperation between NATO's Allied Naval Forces and the Ukrainian Navy in the framework of NATO's Partnership for Peace program. Later in the day, the NATO Naval Commander and his entourage had a meeting with the Sevastopol Naval College cadets and faculty staff and visited the Hetman Sagaidachny, the Ukrainian Navy's flagship.
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