Dmytro Kuleba names three priorities for Ukraine’s external economy for next 10 years

On December 16, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba took part in a panel discussion of the Kyiv International Economic Forum entitled “The world after the pandemic. New opportunities for Ukraine.” The Journalist reports with reference to the press center of the Foreign Ministry.

The Minister named three priority tasks of the external economy of Ukraine for the next 10 years:

 – Support for Ukrainian business that produces a product and seeks to export it;

 – Ensuring the security of the country, since, among other things, it is important for attracting foreign investment;

 – Building synergy with foreign Ukrainians for the development of the Ukrainian economy.

According to the minister, the first key priority is the development of the food economy, which implies maximum support for businesses that produce value-added products and seek to export them abroad, with special attention to high-tech products.

“The country must learn to make money. When we learn to earn, bring money into the country and protect it inside the country, then we will become a really strong state,” the minister said and added that his priority task is to make every effort to develop a culture of support for high-tech Ukrainian business, to help Ukrainian companies enter foreign markets.

The second priority task for the next decade, Dmytro Kuleba called ensuring the security of Ukraine: “When investors take into account various factors, security is one of the most important for making an investment decision. Therefore, I am working on the security of the country. I think that in the next 10 years this issue, unfortunately, will be extremely important.”

The minister called the third task the building of synergy with foreign Ukrainians for the development of the Ukrainian economy: “Millions of Ukrainians who left at different times and whom we call “foreign Ukrainians” should remain an integral part of Ukraine, the Ukrainian people. There is a huge economic potential hidden in the diaspora, and I do not mean at all recalculation of earned money abroad to families or in support of Ukraine, but building synergy for economic development.”

According to Dmytro Kuleba, during the crisis year 2020, it was possible to reconfigure the diplomatic system for substantive practical assistance to Ukrainian business abroad. Indeed, the consolidation of Ukrainian exporters in existing and entry into new foreign markets stimulates the development of the Ukrainian economy, the creation of new jobs, and an increase in tax revenues to the budget.

“The decline in global trade and the dissolution of established supply chains in 2020 has led some countries to become more open and flexible in their trade policies. Ukrainian diplomats were able to take advantage of these opportunities to help Ukrainian business obtain new certificates and permits for Ukrainian exporters in a number of foreign markets,” said Dmytro Kuleba.

Finally, the minister noted that the massive movement of industries from Asia to Europe, which experts expected at the beginning of the pandemic, did not happen.

“I want the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to be an effective partner for Ukrainian business and Ukrainian citizens,” the minister summed up.