Ukraine, North Macedonia deepening trade and economic cooperation

"We are interested in deepening mutually beneficial cooperation with North Macedonia which is a promising trade and economic partner for Ukraine. In the first three months of 2021, trade between our countries almost doubled. Tomorrow, we will hold Intergovernmental Ukraine–North Macedonia Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation, which will outline the key issues of our cooperation in various sectors of the economy," said First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Lyubchenko, the Government portal informs.

Thus, the parties discussed the priorities of bilateral cooperation, including holding a regular meeting of the Joint Committee on the Implementation of Free Trade Agreement, intensification of industrial cooperation, in particular, the possibility of Ukrainian machine-building enterprises to supply machines for re-equipment and modernization of Macedonian energy facilities and mining enterprises.

As noted, other important areas of cooperation are the expansion of partnership in the field of plant quarantine and protection, intensification of humanitarian cooperation, and liberalization of flights between the countries.

In addition, the North Macedonian delegation expressed interest in cooperating with Ukraine on the transition of electricity to the use of renewable energy sources. The parties also exchanged experiences on stimulating the development of small and medium-sized enterprises. In particular, Ukraine and North Macedonia have prospects for establishing mutually beneficial business ties and deepening international cooperation.

The event was also attended by Deputy Economy Minister – Trade Representative of Ukraine Taras Kachka, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of North Macedonia to Ukraine Krum Efremov.

As the Government portal informs, in January–March 2021, the foreign trade turnover between Ukraine and the Republic of North Macedonia amounted to $40.7 million, which is almost twice as much as over the same period last year. In particular, exports of Ukrainian goods and services amounted to $36.8 million, imports totaled $3.9 million.

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