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EBRD President visits Ukraine
3-day trip will stress importance of country's regions, and overall potential
EBRD President Jean Lemierre on Wednesday begins a three-day trip to Ukraine during which he will meet with entrepreneurs, bankers and local authorities in the Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, followed by meetings with senior government officials in Kiev.
Ukraine has attracted $4.7 billion of foreign direct investment since becoming independent - a figure that does not reflect the country's enormous potential. Mr Lemierre intends to concentrate on the importance of Ukraine's private sector, and on making common cause with foreign and local investors in a difficult environment.
Mr Lemierre will stress that improvements in the climate for local and foreign investors are urgently required. To maintain a brisk rate of economic growth, Ukraine cannot afford to be complacent about structural reform and the need to attract new investment. Therefore the Bank intends to remain a catalyst for still-cautious foreign and domestic investors, as outlined in a new country strategy recently approved by the Bank's Board of Directors. Mr Lemierre will be accompanied on the trip by Yuri Poluneev, the Board's Director for Ukraine.
Mr Lemierre will meet with local authorities in Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk to discuss regional development and growth. Special attention will be paid to the transparency of business and implementation of corporate governance principles. He will have a chance to see existing and potential clients of the Bank, as well as to meet with dynamic small and large businesses.
The final leg of the trip will include meetings with President Leonid Kuchma, Prime Minister Anatoly Kinakh, Verhovna Rada (Parliament) Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn and Finance Minster Igor Yushko. During these meetings Mr Lemierre will stress the Bank's willingness to do more business in Ukraine in the private and public sectors. This will require consistent efforts of both the EBRD and the Ukrainian authorities with the ultimate goal of contributing to Ukraine's economic stability and future growth.
The EBRD's cumulative investment in Ukraine stands at €1.4 billion through 57 projects.
The press release in Ukrainian
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