ISLAMABAD: The Ukrainian Ambassador Volodymyr Lakomov has said that Ukraine is a reliable and constructive partner of Pakistan and always stood with it at international and regional level.
He was addressing at a web-seminar, jointly organised by Embassy of Ukraine in Pakistan, School of Politics and International Relations (SPIR) of Quaid-e-Azam University and the Institute of International Relations, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.
The title of seminar was “25 years of bilateral relations between Ukraine and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan: results and prospects”.
The ambassador said that this year we celebrating the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Pakistan. Both the countries have always been friendly and sincere, based upon mutually beneficial cooperation, he said.“Our friendly relations have developed steadily.
The high level of mutual understanding and trust between Ukraine and Pakistan in political and diplomatic sphere has been remarkable” he added. Volodymyr Lakomov, terming Pakistan among good friends, said in the past 25 years, military-technical collaboration remains one of the main pillars of the Ukrainian-Pakistani relations.
Pakistani military-industrial complex has the intention to continue a collaboration with Ukraine in development of technologies and production of military goods, in particular, in the construction and service of the main battle tank of “Al-Khalid”, which is supplied to the Pakistani army and exported to other Muslim countries.
It was recently re-confirmed by signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between defense industries of Ukraine and Pakistan, which took place within the framework of the International Defence Exhibition Idex-2017 in Abu-Dabi.
On the current stage of development of the Ukrainian-Pakistani relations, there is an urgent need to apply the positive experience of bilateral cooperation in military-technical sphere to the civil aspects of our collaboration, he said.
Our two countries take interest in each other’s market and stress their readiness to exploit huge unused potential for economic cooperation.
There is a growing economic interaction between the business communities of our two countries.The volume of bilateral trade in the year 2014 reached its historical maximum of half billion US dollars. In 2016 the volume of trade between Ukraine and Pakistan amounted to over 162 million US dollars.
Ukrainian exports are dominated by grains and oilseeds, steel products, machinery and dairy products. Pakistani exports to Ukraine mainly consist of textile products, citrus fruits, rice, plastic and polymer materials. For the time being, the task for both sides is to create more favorable conditions for building up mutually beneficial business cooperation.
Primarily, it refers to the intensification of political contacts, formation of a proper legal base for cooperation in the spheres of trade, investment, finance, transport, launching productive inter-regional, cross-industry cooperation, he emphasized.
Cultural heritage of Ukraine and Pakistan provides good background for cooperation in this field. Ancient civilizations of Hindus valley and Trypillia were one of the first great civilizations in the world. Hence, there is a substantive background for interaction between scholars, joint research and exhibition projects, he argued.
In December 2014 both parties successfully conducted joint project on issuance of a postal stamp “Mohenjo Daro-Trypillia”. In the past 25 years, our people-to-people exchanges flourished as well, he said. Hundreds of Pakistani citizens have received higher education in Ukrainian universities, i.e. in the National Aviation University.
Kharkov State Technical University of Civil Engineering and Architecture – has semi-centennial traditions of specialists training for international community; National Ukrainian Academy of Arts is a state scientific and artistic institution in the field of art, culture, and art history in Ukraine; Igor Sikorsky Kyiv polytechnic institute; Vinnitsa National Medical University; Kharkiv National Medical University.
Chairman SPIR Nazir Hussain, Athar Abbas ambassador of Pakistan in Ukraine also highlighted the good relationship of both countries. Athar said that defence sector is boosting with the support of Ukraine and Ukraine always stood with Pakistan in every difficult time.
He said that both states have great potential to boost the defence trade, business and people to people contacts. Both countries are focusing to promote the culture, and Ukraine always acknowledged the sacrifices of Pakistan at every platform against the terrorism.