Agro Perspectiva

Azarov: Issue number one of the national policy is normalization of relations with Russia

13.11.2013 14:19 "Agro Perspectiva" (Kyiv) — Issue number one of the national policy is normalization of relations with Russia, Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov stressed during a session of the Cabinet of Ministers on November 13, 2013, Government Portal reports. The Head of Government stressed the importance of preserving of the Russian market for our goods. Shortening of trade turnover with Russia within this year by one fourth has already caused a negative impact on the Ukrainian economy. «We have no right to afford to close the enterprises, to leave our people without salaries and pensions. In addition, reduction of incomes of our citizens draws the country into a vicious circle: fewer incomes — less demand on the domestic goods — further shortening of production. Such vicious circle must be broken,» Mykola Azarov noted. At this, he underlined that Russia dissociates more and more from Ukrainian goods with protective duties which pursuant to the conditions of entering the World Trade Organization are approximately twofold higher than ours. There are being fixed barriers of anti-dumping investigations, sanitary restrictions. New technical regulations are starting to act etc. Sky-high prices for gas, prices for oil and export duties on it have ceased domestic oil refining. «For every responsible person worrying for the fate of Ukraine it will be evident that issue number one of the national policy is normalization of relations with Russia,» Mykola Azarov emphasized. «I can tell it is an order for the authorities from the real economic sector. Industrialists and entrepreneurs just join their capability to overcome negative tendencies with solving of this problem». Settlement of created problems in bilateral relations was the topic for meetings at the level of presidents of Ukraine and Russia, heads of governments of the two states. «In the result of recent talks an understanding has been achieved that the situation which occurred doesn’t correspond to long-term interests of both Ukraine and Russia. There is an arrangement to settle a series of problems,» Mykola Azarov informed. He noted that the President of Ukraine had commissioned the Government to take a complex of measures in order to unblock cooperation with the Russian Federation. «First of all, we must quicken process of harmonization of the customs rules and technical regulations, norms of determining of the origin country of goods and a number of other technical issues. Besides, we must also make the inventory of Ukrainian-Russian agreements in the sphere of the foreign economic activity and actualize them from the point of view of the mutual benefit and protection of our national interests,» Mykola Azarov said.