Tag: Press Release

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 8 February 2022.

Ukraine and France share a common vision of current threats and security challenges for our country, Europe and the world at large. That is why the partnership of our states in the field of security is of special importance today. This was stated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting with media representatives following talks with President of France Emmanuel Macron in Kyiv.

“France plays an active role within the Normandy format. And we greatly appreciate the official position of Paris and the personal efforts of Mr. Emmanuel Macron to achieve peace in Ukraine – he is doing a lot for this,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

According to the President of Ukraine, today the peace process was one of the key issues of negotiations with his French counterpart.

“We expect that in the near future, in accordance with the agreements reached during the Paris Summit in December 2019, we will be able to hold the next talks of the leaders of the Normandy Four. An important step in this direction is the intensification of dialogue at the level of political advisers. We hope that the meeting in Paris, which took place on January 26, 2022, and the upcoming talks in Berlin will bring us closer to holding the Normandy Summit,” said the President of Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that he and the President of France share a common vision of current threats and security challenges for our country, Europe and the world at large.

“They demand unity and new proactive approaches from European leadership. We will continue to cooperate for the deoccupation of part of the territory of Ukraine,” he stressed.

“Today, the security and economic support for Ukraine from partners, strengthening its resilience and defense capabilities is beneficial for the region as a whole and, I am sure, for all countries of the European Union,” the President added.

In this context, Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted the steps of solidarity on the part of France and the decision to allocate 1.2 billion euros of macro-financial assistance, which will help strengthen Ukraine’s economic stability.

The President also noted that the countries are developing cooperation not only in the security sector, but in almost all areas, so an important issue of the meeting with Emmanuel Macron was the involvement of France in joint economic and, above all, infrastructure projects. These include the implementation of an important project for drinking water treatment in Mariupol, the Donetsk region, and the reconstruction of a water supply system in the town of Popasna, the Luhansk region. Thanks to these projects, half a million Mariupol residents and more than a million residents of the Luhansk region will have access to quality drinking water, the Ukrainian President stressed.

“In general, we held meaningful, very effective talks today. I am personally grateful to Emmanuel Macron. Thank you for France’s support to Ukraine. I am convinced that our talks will give impetus to many important things. And the most important thing is the security of our state, the security of Europe,” the President summed up.

For his part, Emmanuel Macron noted the path of reforms that Ukraine has covered, as well as the restraint shown by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy despite the concentration of troops on Ukraine’s borders.

“France and Germany will play a mediating role in resolving the conflict in the format of the Normandy Four, in particular at the level of heads of state,” he emphasized.

The President of France noted that Ukraine reaffirms its readiness to implement the Minsk agreements, which are a path to de-escalation and lasting peace. Emmanuel Macron added that during the recent talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he also received confirmation of Russia’s readiness to continue implementing these agreements.

In addition, the French leader expressed his desire to restore peace on the European continent, which he had already discussed at the talks in Russia and Ukraine. According to him, in the near future it is necessary to work together on a new mechanism to guarantee security, which will ensure de-escalation and enhance security.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 8 February 2022.

Following the meeting of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy with President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron, a number of bilateral documents were signed.

In the presence of the heads of state, Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Denys Monastyrsky and Vice President for Eurasia at Thales International S.A.S. Christoph Lanowski signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and Thales International S.A.S.

In addition, CEO at “Ukroboronprom” Yuriy Husyev and Christoph Lanowski signed the Agreement on Cooperation.

The joint statement of Ukroboronprom and the Embassy of the French Republic in Ukraine was signed by Yuriy Husyev and Ambassador of France to Ukraine Etienne de Poncins.

Acting Head of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine Serhiy Kruk and President of the Desautel Group Jerome Desautel signed a Joint Declaration of Intent between the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and Desautel SAS.

Board Chairman at JSC Ukrzaliznytsia Oleksandr Kamyshin and Chairman and CEO of Alstom Henri Poupart-Lafarge signed a Memorandum of Understanding between JSC Ukrzaliznytsia and Alstom Transport SA.

During a meeting with media representatives following talks with Emmanuel Macron in Kyiv, Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that the involvement of France in joint economic and, above all, infrastructure projects was an important issue in their talks.

“Today we have finalized the agreements and put into practice very important projects: the supply of 130 Alstom locomotives worth 900 million euros and the supply of 370 Desautel units of fire and rescue equipment for 300 million euros. The project on construction of patrol boats for the State Border Service, in particular in the city of Mykolaiv, is also being implemented,” the President of Ukraine said.

He also stressed that Ukraine and France will continue to develop cooperation with Airbus to establish a national air carrier.

“In addition, in the framework of military-technical cooperation between our countries, an agreement was signed between Ukroboronprom and the French company Thales. Also today, a joint statement was signed by Ukroboronprom and the French side on reforms in the defense-industrial complex of Ukraine,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 8 February 2022.

The launch of the Diia City space will make Ukraine attractive for IT companies and startups, which will help our country become the largest IT hub in Europe. This was emphasized by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his speech at the third Diia Summit in Kyiv.

“We are transforming Ukraine into a country of IT companies and startups. Thanks to Diia City, the share of IT in our country’s GDP will increase from 4% to 10%, and the industry’s revenues will grow up to $ 16.5 billion. This will allow Ukraine to become the largest IT hub in Europe,” he said.

We are launching Diia City. This is one of the best tax and legal regimes on the planet, where the language of venture capital investment is spoken,” he added.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that the Ukrainian government seeks to build the most convenient state in the world in terms of public services. That is why the government is currently working to ensure that talented Ukrainians and foreigners from all over the world, the technology business that is shaping the digital economy, come to work on the Ukrainian market.

“People are the most important thing in every country, and talented people are the basis of every economy,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

“That’s why we want not only Ukrainian, but also foreign IT companies to become residents of Diia City. And, as far as I know, both the first and the second will join Diia City today. Well-known, leading Ukrainian and foreign companies,” the President said.

The Head of State also announced the intention to conduct an electronic census in 2023 jointly with Аррle.

“We are developing a model of electronic customs. We strive to make Ukraine a global IT hub. A leader in innovation and technology. Today it does not sound so fantastic, right? And after the launch of this initiative, it will be quite achievable,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated.

Diia City is a special legal and tax regime that creates favorable conditions for the development of IT business, as well as introduces a set of incentives for Ukraine to become a high-tech digital state.

Basic principles of functioning: voluntary entry, freedom of activity (all residents have the right to choose forms of cooperation with third parties), non-interference of the state, presumption of legality of residents, stability (special regime is introduced for at least 25 years), extraterritoriality – the regime will operate in any corner of the country.

Components of “Diia City”: favorable tax system – income tax of 18% or distributed profit tax of 9%, UST at the level of 22% of the minimum wage, personal income tax of 5% and military tax of 1.5%; flexible forms of cooperation with IT specialists – gig contracts that combine the benefits of freelance and social guarantees; guarantees of intellectual property protection; elements of English law that facilitate access to investment; guarantees of protection of the person and property from illegal intervention of security officers.

Joining Diia City is voluntary. The special regime will operate in parallel with the current conditions of IT development. Thanks to Diia City, IT companies will pay lower taxes, be able to build a transparent corporate structure and have better access to investment.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 8 February 2022.

As of today, the online service for changing the place of residence registration and polls are available on the Diia portal of public services. This was stated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his speech at the third Diia Summit, which is taking place in Kyiv.

“We dreamed of a state that provides citizens with quality service. For me, first of all, it’s fast and convenient. When young parents receive 10 services in 15 minutes with just one application in the maternity hospital thanks to “yeMalyatko”. It has been functioning only for two years. But today, nine out of ten Ukrainian families register the birth of a child through this service,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

Also, according to him, almost a million citizens and entrepreneurs during the quarantine restrictions in a few minutes received 8 thousand hryvnias of assistance from the state through Diia. Using Diia you can pay taxes, fines, UST, submit a declaration, e-petition, apply for a subsidy or pension on your smartphone. In total, 14 million people live in “digital Ukraine”, as stated by the President.

“For two years we have been analyzing life situations where citizens interact with the state. And popular government services were made online. Today, the most popular one, the change of place of residence registration, is a matter of the past as well,” the Head of State said.

“As of today there will be no registrations, offices, passport desks, military enlistment offices and so on. You can now change your residence registration online in a few clicks. Congratulations to all. By the way, the A4 certificate, which had to be carried with the ID-passport, can also be forgotten,” he added.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said that the “Poll” function is being launched in the Diia app today. So far, the issues are related to the capabilities of the application and the services available in it, but in the future they will relate to other issues of the state.

In the presentation video, Volodymyr Zelenskyy reminded that direct democracy is one of the key points of his presidential program.

“Today we are taking the first step in this direction – Diia launches the “Poll” service, the first large-scale tool of e-democracy. For millions of citizens, this is an opportunity to express their position and influence decisions for the state, an opportunity to quickly find out the opinion of people on any issues in real time and real numbers. Well, for all of us, this is actually the start of digital democracy,” the President said in a video presentation.

The Head of State noted that the first questions are not difficult, not fateful for the country and are rather a test of this function. In particular, they concern the new digital services that have now appeared in the Diia app – which is the most useful, and which should be the name of the new government program for people over the age of 60.

“Choose your version, see how e-democracy works in “Diia”, influence the development of the digital state,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged citizens.

The President noted that the digital transformation not only saves time, but also changes public administration. Proof of this is the launch of the “eSupport” program.

“In two weeks it has become the most popular service in the history of Ukraine. One thousand hryvnias for vaccinated citizens plus 500 hryvnias for a booster dose. Funds that can be spent on sports, concerts, movies, theaters, museums, books, traveling in Ukraine. Eight million Ukrainians used it. The affected business sectors received 2.3 billion hryvnias. And the whole world understood that Ukrainians are a nation that reads, because every third citizen spent these funds on books. And this is wonderful,” the President said.

The President reminded that in February 2020, when the presentation of the newly created Diia app took place, digital driver’s licenses and technical passports were available, and then it was considered a breakthrough. And today there are more than 20 documents and services in the application, and more than 50 government services, licenses and permits on the Diia portal.

“We have become the fourth country in Europe to have electronic driver’s licenses. Then it was pride. We were the first in the world to launch a digital passport that is as valid as a paper one. Then it was fantastic. We were the first to join the single digital market in Europe with COVID-certificates generated by 10 million Ukrainians. And now it’s all a habit. The habit of high-quality, fast and convenient service from the state,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

As the President noted, the more difficult it is to surprise citizens every time, the more ambitious the plans and the way forward are.

“But I am sure that at the next Diia Summit, as always, we will have something to tell, something to be proud of, there will be victories that we will be able to surprise you with, and ambitious plans that will surprise you and the whole world even more. But this does not frighten us. Because we know for sure: what was called a “dream” yesterday is called “Diia” today. The main thing is to dream and act,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy summed up.

The Head of State urged: do not be afraid to dream, because digitization in Ukraine is just that.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 4 February 2022.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and representatives of the IT industry held a meeting to discuss urgent issues of industry development and the launch of a special legal and tax regime “Diia City” scheduled for February 8 this year.

The event was also attended by Deputy Head of the Office of the President Rostyslav Shurma and Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that the state will fully support the IT industry, which creates new jobs and makes Ukraine a modern country.

“We really want to build a digital state. And we succeed in that,” the President said during the meeting.

He answered questions from representatives of the IT industry, in particular on taxes and development of education, as well as listened to their suggestions that would contribute to the development of the industry turning Ukraine into a magnet for talented active people.

Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov stressed that before the start of “Diia City” it was important to hold such a meeting with representatives of Ukrainian companies that generate jobs and form a new Ukraine.

“We reaffirm at the highest state level that this project is designed to help the IT industry and will continue to grow,” he said.

The meeting took place on the eve of the Diia Summit, which will be held on February 8 in Kyiv. During this large-scale event organized by the Ministry of Digital Transformation, new digital services for citizens on the “Diia” portal will be presented.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 4 February 2022.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a phone conversation with President of the Slovak Republic Zuzana Čaputová.

The President thanked Slovakia for its continued solidarity in supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The interlocutors exchanged views on the security situation around our country. Volodymyr Zelenskyy informed about the initiatives of the Ukrainian side to intensify the negotiation process within the Normandy format and the implementation of the Minsk agreements.

The leaders touched upon the issue of cooperation between Ukraine and Slovakia in the security sphere.

The President of Ukraine praised Slovakia’s support for our country’s European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations.

Special attention was paid to energy security during the conversation.

“Against the background of security risks associated with the construction of Nord Stream 2, close cooperation between Ukraine and Slovakia is important for enhancing security of energy supply,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The parties agreed to hold negotiations at the level of relevant agencies to increase the guaranteed capacity for natural gas transportation on a permanent basis in the Slovakia – Ukraine direction.

The interlocutors also exchanged views on the situation with COVID-19 in Ukraine and Slovakia and measures to counter the spread of the pandemic.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 3 February 2022.

Ukraine expects active participation of Turkish companies in joint projects in the defense and aviation sectors, infrastructure and energy. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a statement to the media following talks with President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Kyiv.

“Today, cooperation in the field of infrastructure and investment is actively developing. Ukraine is creating favorable conditions for foreign business by adopting a number of relevant, very important laws. We expect the work of Turkish companies in Ukraine to become even more active. “Both in the framework of the Large Construction program and in new important joint projects, to which we will provide as much support as possible,” the Ukrainian President said.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that special attention was paid to cooperation in the defense and aviation industries during today’s talks.

“This is one of the locomotives of our strategic partnership. Our goal is to implement specific projects, create joint ventures, exchange experience and technologies,” he said.

The President noted that today Ukraine and Turkey had signed an agreement that would significantly expand the production of Baykar Makina unmanned aerial vehicles in our country.

“These are new technologies, new jobs, strengthening Ukraine’s defense capabilities,” the President said.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine wants to give a new impetus to cooperation with Turkey in the energy sector.

“I am confident that the result of the talks will be a practical result that will strengthen the security of our country, enhance the energy security of our countries and the region,” he said.

The Ukrainian President stressed that despite the restrictions related to COVID-19, a record number of Ukrainian tourists visited Turkey last year – about two million.

“For my part, I am pleased that the number of guests from Turkey is growing every year in Ukraine,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

According to the President, visiting each other’s countries, the citizens of Ukraine and Turkey feel hospitality, comfort, security and respect.

The President commended Turkey’s intention to increase its diplomatic presence in Ukraine and establish consulates general in Kharkiv and Lviv.

“We will also increase the status of the consular office in Antalya to the Consulate General in order to more effectively protect the interests of our citizens,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

For his part, the President of the Republic of Turkey stressed the importance of the work of Turkish investors in Ukraine.

“We are proud that Turkish companies successfully implement infrastructure projects in Ukraine. I would like to thank the President once again for trusting our companies,” he said.

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also noted the constantly increasing cooperation between the two countries in the field of tourism.

During the talks, the presidents also discussed issues of support for Crimean Tatars.

The Turkish leader thanked Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people for hospitality and wished the work of the Strategic Council of the two countries to become a basis for further development of cooperation.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 3 February 2022.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy notes that one of the main topics of the meeting with President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Kyiv was security and peace. The Head of State said this in his statement for the media following the Ukrainian-Turkish talks in Kyiv.

Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for his firm and consistent support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and Turkey’s active participation in the Crimea Platform for the liberation of Crimea and the protection of the rights of Crimeans.

“We are talking about the support for the Crimean Tatars, the construction of housing for IDPs from Crimea. There is indeed progress in this matter. We are confident that soon there will be a result, namely the implementation of this important project in Kherson, Mykolaiv and Kyiv,” he said.

Separately, the President of Ukraine noted the initiative of the Turkish leader to become a mediator between Ukraine and Russia on the way to ending the war in Donbas.

“For peace in Ukraine, we are ready to do everything possible on all platforms, in all formats. It doesn’t matter where exactly one can end the war. It is important for everyone to be sincerely ready for this,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

The President of Ukraine thanked the President of Turkey for the frank conversation and important visit.

“It clearly demonstrates who is a friend of Ukraine, always willing to stand by us and help. Ukraine will always remember this. And it will always be ready to help as well. But I sincerely believe that our friendship will be strengthened not by common threats, but only by common victories,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy summed up.

For his part, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stressed that Turkey continues to support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, including Crimea. The leader of the Republic of Turkey commended the position of the President of Ukraine and other Ukrainian officials who offer diplomatic ways to de-escalate the situation around our country.

“During today’s negotiations, I reiterated that we would be pleased to host a summit in Turkey at the level of leaders (of Ukraine and Russia – ed.) or talks at the technical level,” said the President of the Republic of Turkey.

According to him, Turkey also attaches great importance to the work of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Donbas.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 3 February 2022.

Following the meeting of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy with President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the tenth meeting of the Ukrainian-Turkish High-Level Strategic Council, a number of bilateral documents were signed.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba and Minister of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Turkey Mehmet Kasapoğlu signed an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the field of youth policy. This is the first bilateral document regulating cooperation between countries in this area.

The agreement creates legal boundaries for the introduction and development of cooperation, which will promote the expansion of people-to-people contacts and exchanges. It is a matter of organizing joint events and programs in Ukraine and the Republic of Turkey, including youth exchanges.

The Foreign Ministers of Ukraine and Turkey signed a Memorandum of Understanding on technical cooperation between the State Tax Service of Ukraine and the Revenue Administration of the Ministry of Treasury and Finance of the Republic of Turkey.

The document will allow not only to expand the scope of cooperation, but also to establish an exchange of experience in tax administration, improve relevant Ukrainian legislation and practices, and combat tax evasion.

The memorandum provides for cooperation between the parties in registration and accounting of taxpayers, their administration, combating tax evasion, use of electronic tax reporting, service of taxpayers, as well as training and development of staff, exchange of information, including instructions, guidelines, newsletters, laws in the field of taxation.

In order to coordinate, encourage and develop cooperation between Ukraine and Turkey in the customs sector, Acting Chairman of the State Customs Service of Ukraine Vyacheslav Demchenko and Deputy Minister of Trade of Turkey Mustafa Tuzcu signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the establishment of a Joint Customs Council between the State Customs Service of Ukraine and the Ministry of Trade of the Republic of Turkey.

The Council’s activities are expected to intensify and develop Ukrainian-Turkish cooperation in this area, in particular, increase the effectiveness of customs control and simplify customs procedures, which will generally contribute to the growth of bilateral trade.

Vyacheslav Demchenko and Mustafa Tuzcu also signed an Action Plan between the State Customs Service of Ukraine and the Ministry of Trade of Turkey on mutual recognition of programs of authorized economic operators.

The document establishes the algorithm of actions of the parties in order to accelerate the conclusion of an agreement on mutual recognition of AEO programs and provides for the institutionalization of cooperation in this regard, including the establishment of a working group and the appointment of responsible persons. It will significantly contribute to the supply chain security, higher security standards and facilitation of bilateral trade.

A Protocol was also signed between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Government of the Republic of Turkey amending the Agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Government of the Republic of Turkey on Cooperation of Law Enforcement Bodies of December 4, 2009.

The document signed by Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Denys Monastyrsky and Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Turkey Süleyman Soylu will ensure more effective cooperation between the competent authorities of the two countries to prevent threats to public safety and order, terrorist attacks, as well as in the prevention, detection and investigation of criminal offenses and the identification of perpetrators. It covers areas of cooperation such as combating organized crime, terrorism, human trafficking, corruption offenses, money laundering, smuggling of goods, criminal offenses against property, environment, cybercrime, drug trafficking, etc.

In addition, the conclusion of the Protocol will help increase the administrative and institutional capacity of law enforcement agencies of Ukraine.

The Memorandum of Understanding between the State Enterprise “Ukrainian Scientific Research and Training Center for Standardization, Certification and Quality Problems” and the Turkish Institute of Standards was signed by Dmytro Kuleba and Minister of Industry and Technology of the Republic of Turkey Mustafa Varank.

The document is aimed at eliminating technical barriers to trade between countries and provides for the development of bilateral cooperation between the parties, mutual study of experience in the field of standardization, certification and quality.

The memorandum enshrines the readiness of the parties to cooperate and provide mutual support in the field of standardization at the national, regional and international levels, and sets the need for maximum harmonization of national and regional standards with international ones, as far as possible. These include mutual support in the framework of participation in international and regional organizations, such as the International Organization for Standardization, the International Electrotechnical Commission, the European Committee for Standardization, the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization, the Interregional Standardization Association.

The Framework Agreement between the Governments of Ukraine and Turkey on Cooperation in the Field of High Technologies, Aviation and Space was signed by Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov and Minister of Industry and Technology of the Republic of Turkey Mustafa Varank.

The agreement is to provide a further impetus to Ukrainian-Turkish cooperation in the field of high technologies, aviation and space, in particular in the development, production and operation of the Bayraktar unmanned aerial vehicles.

The document defines the terms of cooperation aimed at ensuring the effective use of production and scientific-technical potential of the parties, and the responsibilities of the parties.

Its implementation will help strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities, lead to intensified bilateral economic cooperation and create an additional basis for attracting investment in high technology and these industries. And the participation of Ukrainian specialists in the development, production, maintenance, repair, modernization of unmanned aerial vehicles and their involvement in professional training will improve their skills in the field of high technology.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 3 February 2022.

In the presence of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a Free Trade Agreement between Ukraine and Turkey was signed in Kyiv.

The document was signed by Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal and Minister of Trade of Turkey Mehmet Muş.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Ukraine takes place on a historic day, as Ukraine and Turkey established diplomatic relations exactly 30 years ago.

“Today a very significant event has become the culmination of three decades of cooperation and friendship – our countries have signed an agreement on a free trade area. I congratulate everyone on this important step. I am grateful to our teams for these negotiations. We have covered a long and difficult path to unveil new horizons of cooperation,” said the President of Ukraine.

According to the President, this document provides new opportunities for business, opens up new markets, new gains and profits, new jobs, investments, the growth of GDP of the two countries and the welfare of our people.

“Even before the agreement was signed, our mutual trade set a record and grew to USD 7 billion last year – by more than a half. This proves that our goal of USD 10 billion is highly realistic. And the Free Trade Agreement will help achieve it faster than expected,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed.

“During our talks, we considered the steps that can be taken to bring our trade turnover to USD 10 billion, which last year showed a 60% growth and reached USD 7.5 billion. I sincerely believe that the Free Trade Agreement that has just been signed will help us achieve this goal quickly,” said Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The Free Trade Agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of the Republic of Turkey is designed to promote trade and economic cooperation between the two countries through the introduction of a free trade regime. It is expected that the document will promote trade intensification between the two countries, increase in exports due to domestic producers benefiting from the liberalization of the market of goods and services of the Republic of Turkey, emergence of opportunities for technology transfer and modernization of production in Ukraine, job creation, exchange of experience, etc.

The document provides for a gradual substantial liberalization of trade in goods during the transition period, starting from the date of entry into force of the Agreement, and a gradual liberalization of trade in services.

A Joint Committee is hereby established, the activities of which are aimed at ensuring the proper and effective implementation of the FTA.

The provisions of the Agreement on goods cover market access, national internal taxation and regulation, classification and valuation of goods, duties, fees and other charges, rules of agreement, cases of import and export restrictions, exchange of data on the use of benefits, export subsidies and equivalent measures, freedom of transport transit. The procedure is established for abolition of customs duties, application of sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers to trade, bilateral and global safeguards, anti-dumping and countervailing measures, regulation of intellectual property, etc.

In terms of services, the provisions of the Agreement cover market access, internal regulation of the most-favored-nation treatment application, mutual recognition of competencies of service providers, transparency and disclosure of confidential information, monopolies and exclusive service providers, business practices, payments and transfers, restrictions for the protection of balance of payments, schedule of specific obligations and their changes, emergency protective measures. The agreement also provides for measures to be taken by the parties to promote mutual commercial presence, in particular by simplifying procedures to facilitate activities, as well as encouraging mutual investment and removing barriers to the use and development of e-commerce; regulates competition and dispute settlement issues.

In order to further facilitate trade in goods, the Agreement provides for the simplification of trade procedures by the parties as far as possible in accordance with their obligations under the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement; encouraging multilateral cooperation between the parties to strengthen their participation in the development and implementation of international rules of conduct and recommendations on trade facilitation.