ZHITOMIR, 3 October (BelTA) – More Ukrainian businesses launch operations in Belarus, Ukrainian Ambassador to Belarus Igor Kizim said at the 8th session of the Ukrainian-Belarusian advisory council on business cooperation that is taking place on the sidelines of the 2nd Forum of Regions of Belarus and Ukraine in Zhitomir on 3 October, BelTA has learned.
The ambassador welcomed vibrant interregional ties between the two countries and emphasized that the majority of people live in the regions, not in the capital city. “Cooperation in the manufacturing sector should be promoted at the level of regions,” the diplomat said.
“Of course, there are issues, but the forum helps address them. Last year the advisory council discussed certain restrictions imposed on the Ukrainian business. I am happy that such issues are resolved. Issues can be removed if we deal with them. All we need is to work consistently to remove barriers that impede business growth,” Igor Kizim said.
He emphasized the importance of resuming the work of the joint intergovernmental commission as soon as possible. Ukraine has not appointed its co-chair because of reorganization of ministries that is underway in the country. “I hope the matter will be resolved and the commission will resume operations,” Igor Kizim noted.
The diplomat said that since the start of his mission in Belarus he has been working on opening offices of Ukrainian honorary consuls in all the regions of Belarus. They would be highly instrumental in building and promoting business contacts. “The office of the Ukrainian consul in Vitebsk will open in the nearest future,” the ambassador said.