Ukraine seeks to synchronize and integrate its economy into the economic system of the European Union, and cooperation with Germany is of particular importance in this regard. This was stated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the video address to the participants of the Fourth Ukrainian-German Business Forum.
The President noted the mutual desire of the parties to develop and deepen the partnership despite the difficult circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
On behalf of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the German government for supporting Ukraine in the face of continued Russian aggression.
"We appreciate the cooperation with the Federal Republic of Germany in the Normandy format - to achieve peace in Donbas. The importance of the assistance provided to us, projects to support reforms, develop small and medium-sized businesses, modernize the energy sector of our country is difficult to overestimate," he said.
The President assured the representatives of the German business community that Ukraine's strategic course towards European integration remains unchanged.
"We strive to synchronize and integrate our economy into the economic system of the European Union. In this regard, Ukraine's cooperation with Germany, the engine of European integration, is of particular importance,” he said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine is particularly interested in cooperation with Germany in the fields of digitization and IT, energy and energy efficiency, infrastructure and logistics, agriculture and aerospace.
"Attracting foreign investment is our priority. In order to create a favorable investment environment in Ukraine, deep structural reforms are being carried out. Last year, we passed a law on state investment support, which provides support for investors who create new jobs and implement investment projects for the sum of 20 million euros and more,” the President said and called on the forum participants to pay attention to this mechanism and take advantage of opportunities that Ukraine gives.
Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal drew attention to the fact that in 2020, despite the pandemic, Germany took first place among Ukraine's trading partners in Europe and entered the top five largest foreign investors.
"I see this as a recognition by German investors of the stable development of the Ukrainian economy, confirmation of readiness to work in Ukraine and cooperate with our government," he said.
The Prime Minister reminded that in August 2020, with the support of Germany, Ukraine launched the Energy Partnership, which opens new opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation in the field of energy efficiency, renewable energy and hydrogen production.
"Our course for a "green" future and attracting investment in this sector is unchanged. We also follow the course to the liberalization of electricity and gas markets, the introduction of stimulating tariffs for the modernization of these sectors, which opens up new investment opportunities," he said.
Denys Shmyhal also sees significant potential for deepening cooperation with Germany in the aerospace, industry and logistics, agricultural sector and IT partnership.