Recent developments on Ukraine’s foreign policy front show that our state, as if with a wave of a magic wand, has turned from a failing student into a promising one. Foreign delegations come to Kyiv one after another to praise their hosts. If previously those were mostly advisors or special envoys from the USA, last Wednesday our capital hosted an official one-day visit of UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Robin Cook, who already at Boryspil A irport expressed his admiration for the economic reforms initiated by the Ukrainian Cabinet.
One would think that this distant overseas country is hardly our most active investor or trade partner. However, according to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Borys Tarasiuk, last year Great Britain invested $243 million in Ukraine, outstripped only by the Netherlands. The trade turnover between our countries came to $464 million, which secured the UK the third place among the EU member states after Germany and the Netherlands. At a press conference in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs the British minister commented that it is good to be among the best three, but to be first is still better. At this point, he added that the economic reform program can attract even more investment to Ukraine.
The distinguished guest welcomed Ukraine’s European choice and promised to provide every kind of assistance to strengthen Ukraine-EU ties. He thinks that within the framework of the European Union, the UK will work to improve the joint EU strategy with regard to Ukraine. The British support Ukraine’s desire to become a WTO member and even proposed to prepare a technical assistance program which will help Ukraine with its accession to this organization.
The Chornobyl issue was also mentioned in the course of negotiations. Mr. Cook said, in particular, that Chornobyl should be shut down in the interest of the whole world and Ukraine. On its part, London is willing to render support to close the Chornobyl and build compensating capacities at Rivne and Khmelnytsky stations.
Touching upon the issue of the referendum, painful for the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, the British Secretary of State said diplomatically that it is up to the Ukrainian people, which will settle this issue by itself.
Mr. Cook’s visit was very important for Ukraine, because the last time the head of the British foreign policy authority was seen here in 1995. The British guest said it was a pleasure for him to be in a country having such great importance in the Central and Eastern Europe.
