British Ambassador gets acquainted with promising investment projects in Ternopil region

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom to Ukraine Melinda Simmons, who is on a working visit to Ternopil region, praised the partnership between the two countries.

"I am very glad to be in Ternopil region for the first time. I am most proud of the fact that there is a truly bilateral partnership between Ukraine and the United Kingdom. With colleagues from the G7, our work this year has been aimed at advancing reforms. We constantly meet with ministers and officials, and this trip to Ternopil region is our first opportunity to travel together outside the capital and see how the reforms we support are implemented locally and how they influence the lives of people in the regions," Simmons said, Ukrinform reports with reference to the press service of the Ternopil Regional Council.

Mykhailo Holovko, Chairman of the Ternopil Regional Council, noted that the region was interested in investments.

"We are interested in establishing close economic ties with the UK and attracting investment to our region. The projects of interest to investors include the construction of industrial parks and the resumption of the airport operation. Agriculture is also one of the key industries," said Holovko during a conversation with Ambassador Simmons.

As reported, over the past year, Ternopil region has increased the volumes of processing vegetables and oilseeds with Britain more than 1.5-fold. One of the largest agricultural companies in the region is the Continental Farmers Group, a company with Saudi-British capital. The region is ready to increase bilateral trade, including with the support of the UK's Export Credits Guarantee Department.

Earlier, Wendy Morton, the Minister for Europe and Americas at the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, announced the establishment of the Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine which will begin its work by December 2021 and aims to attract up to $35 million from donors within three years.

Photo credit: te-rada.org

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