This time the column “Ukraine and the World” features Oleksandr Motsyk, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Poland. This Ukrainian diplomat has worked in Poland since Feb. 2006. In 2001-03, he headed the Ukrainian diplomatic mission in Turkey. As was the case with other Ukrainian diplomats with foreign postings, I asked him to comment on the following issues:
1. What is the value or importance of Poland to Ukraine?
2. What interests does Ukraine have in Poland and is it possible to defend them?
3. How are the economic and trade relations evolving between Ukraine and Poland? How active is Ukrainian business in Poland? Does its progress need any kind of governmental or legislative support?
4. How people in Poland feel about Ukraine and Ukrainians? How do they see Ukraine?
Ambassador: We have much in common with Poland, in social and historical terms, also in regard to our pragmatic national interests. The stated strategic partnership is acquiring a concrete and substantial meaning.
I would like to stress that the attitude of the Polish population to Ukrainians has changed for the better over the past couple of years. Polish public opinion has been especially affected by recent democratic changes in Ukraine. Their polls indicate that the unfriendly Polish attitude toward Ukrainians has gone down by more than 20 percent while the number of Poles wishing a lasting reconciliation has increased from 61 to 82 percent. About as many Poles want to see Ukraine as a member of the European Union.
Tourist trips to Ukraine are quite popular in Poland and they can serve as another factor that will enhance Poland’s friendly attitude to our country — and I mean not only trips to Lviv or other cities close to the frontier. Our resorts in the Crimea, in the vicinity of Odesa, in Padilla, and in the central regions of Ukraine are also becoming popular with Polish tourists.
Ukraine’s victory in the contest for hosting Europe’s 2012 [Euro’12] soccer championships offers a historic opportunity for rapprochement and understanding. Our joint arrangements for the championships must have a positive effect on the images of our countries, stimulate their economic growth, and demonstrate the ability of Ukraine and Poland to achieve set goals through concerted action. The holding of Euro’12, the working out of a new enhanced cooperation agreement between Ukraine and the EU should have a single philosophy aimed at Ukraine-EU rapprochement and arrangements for Ukraine’s membership.
I would like to specially emphasize the fact that practically all political forces in Poland realize the importance of neighborly relations and cooperation between our countries. We know that the [political] elite’s views are broadly reflected by the general public. Moreover, the Western political community has adopted the axiom that there will be no free Poland without a free Ukraine.
In this context official Warsaw is making every effort to facilitate Ukraine’s European and Euro-Atlantic foreign political vectors. Poland has practically emphasized the importance of our country for Europe during every international event, just as it has defended the right of Ukraine to become a member of the EU and supported our position in Europe.
Poland and Ukraine are united by a broad range of mutual interests, including the establishment of a single European home, strengthening transatlantic contacts, energy safety, expanding trade and investment cooperation, stepping up the dialog between these countries. Poland is an important partner for Ukraine, considering its NATO and EU membership experiences, also its interesting experience of combining the democratic values of Europe with the principles of enhancing the national identity and preserving the Christian traditions.
The dynamic rate of top-level contacts, whose results are being positively reflected in concrete projects, is the best proof of our closeness and [mutual] confidence. Characteristically, our relations are marked by the absence of [political] conjecture; our balanced cooperation has been maintained regardless of political and personal preferences. Moreover, these relations have reached a new qualitative level this year, when both sides can gradually systematize and acknowledge each other’s key priorities for a given period of time. The first step in this direction was made when the Ukrainian-Polish 2007-08 Cooperation Roadmap was adopted.
The economic integration of our countries deserves special notice. The average annual trade exchange rate shows a 40-50 percent growth and in 2006 it amounted to 3,5 billion dollars and this year we expect a record sum of five billion dollars. Add to this official statistic all that flea market business and the result will be that the Republic of Poland is ranking with Ukraine’s major business partners. It is in Poland that Ukraine’s two big investment projects — involving the Industrial Union of the Donbas, owner of the Huta Czestochowa steelworks, and the close corporation ZAZ [Ukr. abbr., Zaporizhia Automobile Building Plant], owner of the FSO automobile building plant — are being carried out. This year has witnessed a gradually increasing presence of Ukrainian investors [on the Polish market].
An inalienable component of Ukrainian-Polish cooperation is that between regions and cities in both countries. Some 150 bilateral instruments have been signed concerning cooperation on the regional and muncipal level, and efforts to instutionalize these agreements are underway. Cooperation between Ukrainian administrative-territorial units and their partners in the West is one of the key practical elements of Ukraine’s European integration.
Speaking of Polish investors, they are mostly interested in the western regions (Lviv, Ivano- Frankivsk, Zakarpatia, Ternopil, and Volyn oblasts) where they can expect effective manufacture using local natural resources, like sulphur, potassic and table/white salt, coal, oil, gas, and to develop an effective network of health-building and tourist resorts.
Also, the Donestk-Prydniprovia region (e.g., Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia, and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts) where coal mines, steelworks, chemical factories have to be re-equipped using low or waste-free and ecologically pure technologies; where a powerful impetus must be given to energy-saving medium-level and precision machine-building, automobile— and aircraft-building businesses.
Also, the southern region (Odesa, Mykolayiv, Kherson oblasts) where investments in the upgrading of portside facilities, catering and canning businesses, expanding health and tourist resorts appear most promising.
The setting up of a modern infrastructure in Ukraine (including transport, warehouse technologies, telecommunications, business offices, centers, databases, even household services) should be listed as ranking with foreign investors’ priorities. Doing business here looks topical as well as attractive; foreign investors can expect to return their initial expenses within relatively short time-limits. At the same time, there is favorable material basis for further business cooperation involving foreign capital.
In a word, Ukrainian-Polish relations have a big future, based on our joint interest in building a single undivided Europe where Ukrainians and Poles will be able to live equally happy.
