“Did you discuss the problems of military and nuclear-technology cooperation?”
“Not a single question of bilateral military and nuclear-technology cooperation was raised during the talks.”
“To what extent realistic do you think are the prospects of the supplying Iranian energy resources to Western Europe across Ukraine?”
“We will have to think about this. Of course, you will now find more skeptics than advocates of such ambitious project. But I still think this issue will be considered in practical terms in ten years or so. Look, Europe needs new sources of fuel supplies to meet its increasing requirements. Of course, there is gas from Russia, from Norway. But, while the resources and potential of its transportation are not inexhaustible, Iran has the world’s second largest reserves of gas. This makes it necessary to draw up a detailed feasibility report on this project precisely now. With this in mind, Ukraine has suggested setting up an expert task force composed of representatives of the interested parties, including Ukraine, to do the necessary calculations.
“During our meeting the president of Iran expressed political support for the project of Iranian gas transport to Europe across the territory of Armenia and Ukraine. Incidentally, the Iran- Armenia gas pipeline is already under construction, in other words, it actually exists. So I would like our country to pay due attention to this strategically important project. Of course, Iran should take into account the European Union’s attitude toward this issue.”
“To what extent seriously is Iran interested in the development of economic cooperation with Ukraine? What is the Ukrainian side doing to capture Iranian markets?”
“Ukraine can offer products and technologies that satisfy Iranian partners in terms of quality and price. The point is that we have precisely what the Iranian side needs, so the potential for our economic cooperation is unlimited. I saw again that Iran is an effective partner for us. This year’s trade turnover, more than $150 million, is far from the limit.
“We are pinning our main hopes on a more intensive involvement in the An- 140 aircraft joint production project at Isfahan. Few people know that this multimillion-dollar contract has helped us keep afloat our aircraft and engine industries. I am satisfied that we managed to discuss the possibility of producing certain varieties of the An-140, including a cargo-plane version. The Iranian side confirmed its desire to build twelve airplanes a year. But our cooperation is not confined to this alone, which is also a tangible result of our delegation’s visit. Just one example: as I was informed, each businessman from our delegation received two or three specific business proposals from his Iranian partners. This applies to such industries as metallurgy, mechanical engineering, mining, and petrochemicals. Some entrepreneurs even decided to stay behind in Iran to further discuss certain offers.
“We agreed to hold the third session of the Ukrainian-Iranian Trade and Economic Cooperation Commission, chaired by First Vice Premier Oleh Dubyna, in the first quarter of 2002. We will soon appoint a new Ukrainian ambassador to Iran. We must also speed up the establishment of Ukraine’s trade and economic mission in Iran. In a word, we must do our best to consolidate out position on Iran’s markets. Otherwise, this niche will be filled by our competitors in a few years.”
