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The Ukrainian president became the first foreign leader to visit the kingdom since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
The visit of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the United Kingdom, led to the signing of several agreements, including free trade and strategic partnership.
Among other things, Britain is expanding quotas for Ukrainian products and will help the development of the Ukrainian Navy. Correspondent.net says the details.
“New stage” in relations between countries
In connection with the withdrawal of Great Britain from the European Union, it became necessary to update the agreements between Ukraine and the United Kingdom.
On October 7, President Vladimir Zelensky and his wife Elena went to perform this task. Zelensky’s first couple were greeted by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge William and Catherine. The meeting took place at Buckinghamsack Palace.
The office of the president
Zelenskiy then visited the Royal Navy base in the city of Portsmouth, where he examined the Prince of Wales aircraft carrier and became familiar with the weapons samples from the British defense industry complex.
In the presence of the president, the Defense Minister of Ukraine, Andriy Taran, and the British Secretary of State for Defense, Ben Wallace, signed a memorandum on strengthening cooperation in the military and military-technical spheres.
As Taran said, the memorandum concerns the supply of modern models of military equipment and the latest high-precision weapons, the establishment of the production of certain types of military products in Ukraine, as well as the construction of base facilities for the Ukrainian Navy. .
“The implementation of these projects will significantly improve the capabilities and combat potential of the Ukrainian fleet, compatibility with the naval component of NATO member states. We hope that this will become an engine for the restoration of the construction industry. shipping in Ukraine and will attract modern technologies to our economy, “said the minister.
The EP reports that the memorandum provides for the re-equipment of the Ukrainian Navy with modern missile ships.
As part of the implementation of joint projects in the field of defense, Great Britain is granting Ukraine a 10-year loan in the amount of $ 1.6 billion.
As the presidential press service noted, this should “increase efficiency and reduce the time frame for the implementation of joint projects in the field of defense in the context of the worsening situation in the Black Sea region.”
Zelenskiy at the British Naval Base / Office of the President
The funds allocated will be used to build a port infrastructure for the base of the ships in Ochakov, Nikolaev region.
Zelensky himself, in a meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on October 8, signed an Agreement on Political Cooperation, Free Trade and Strategic Partnership.
According to the President of Ukraine, this document will become the basis of relations between Ukraine and Great Britain.
“Today is a historic day for Ukraine and the United Kingdom: we are starting a new stage of strategic partnership between our countries,” Zelensky said.
The agreement provides for the holding of annual meetings of the high- or high-level Strategic Partnership Dialogue and the Trade Committee.
“Our commitment to Ukraine is strong as a rock, we are 100 percent with you,” Johnson told Zelenskiy.
The office of the president
The agreement covers cooperation in areas such as energy, mining, industrial policy, agriculture, ecology, according to the OP’s press service.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that the parties agreed to liberalize the terms of trade for goods and services to a level not lower than that provided in the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU.
The agreement signed between Ukraine and the United Kingdom leaves the amount of quota goods unchanged, but expands the quotas itself, said Deputy Minister of Economy and Trade Representative Taras Kachka.
“Since the agreement is a continuity agreement, unfortunately, we have maintained the same logic for goods that are subject to partial liberalization. That is, the number of goods for which tariff quotas are in force has not changed. At the same time time, we are talking about a real increase in these tariff quotas. ” – He explained on his Facebook page.
Kachka noted that the fees themselves have been increased by 13 to 20 percent. At the same time, the terms of the agreement foresee its review in two years and the negotiations on the update will begin in the second year of the document’s validity.
It also signed a memorandum, which provides for the consolidation of the agreement on the provision of credit guarantees by Great Britain in the amount of 2.5 billion pounds.
In addition, a special representative of the prime minister for trade with Ukraine will appear in the British government.
The office of the president
Scotch whiskey producers in particular were delighted with the trade deal. Tom Sallis, Director of International Associations for the Scotch Whiskey Association, noted that Ukraine is a promising market for Scotch whiskey. In 2019, more than one million bottles were exported to Ukraine.
“This agreement will provide unimpeded access for Scotch whiskey to the Ukrainian market and further ensures that Scotch whiskey will have the status of a product of protected geographical origin in Ukraine,” the EP quotes.
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