FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and Ukrainian
Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk issued the following statement regarding the
outcomes of the first-ever U.S.-Ukraine Business Forum. Co-hosted by the
Department of Commerce and U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the forum gathered
high-level government and business leaders from both countries to discuss
Ukraine’s economic reform agenda and opportunities to improve trade and
investment between our two countries.
“It was with great satisfaction that we joined more than 150 senior
Ukrainian and American business and government executives, including U.S. Vice
President Joe Biden and Ukrainian Ministers of Agriculture, Economic
Development and Trade, Finance and Infrastructure at the U.S.-Ukraine Business
Forum in Washington D.C on July 13th. During the event, we joined
productive discussions on Ukraine’s economic reform efforts and pledged to work
collaboratively to create opportunities for bilateral trade and investment that
will ensure a democratic and prosperous Ukraine.
While the Government of Ukraine continues to face Russian aggression in
eastern Ukraine and Russian occupation of Crimea, it has already undertaken key
reforms to enhance competition, reduce corruption and strengthen the rule of
law. At the Forum, leading business participants welcomed the ambitious
scale and pace of these reforms and offered additional concrete recommendations
to further improve Ukraine’s business climate. They also emphasized the
constructive role the U.S. and Ukrainian business communities can play in
supporting Ukraine’s integration with the European and global economy.
As part of our mutual goal to grow economic ties, and as a follow-up to the
Forum, the U.S. and Ukraine pledge to build support for and execute priority
reforms to promote business competition and entrepreneurship based on the rule
of law; expand the scope of dialogues between government and business focused
on increasing growth in the agribusiness, energy, pharmaceutical and other key
sectors; and continue to strengthen bilateral diplomacy in support of these
objectives, including a planned visit by Secretary Pritzker to Kyiv
in October 2015.
The Government of Ukraine commits to taking concrete and meaningful steps
towards the full implementation of gas sector reform; strengthening the
protection of intellectual property rights to reflect Ukraine’s commitment to
its artistic and innovative sectors; and accelerating efforts to accede to the
WTO’s Government Procurement Agreement. During Secretary Pritzker’s October
visit, she intends to highlight Ukraine’s success in implementing these
reforms. Over the next twelve months, the Government of Ukraine also
committed to develop and adopt an updated and modern tax code that ensures
business growth and make concrete progress on the fair and transparent privatization
process of state-owned enterprises.
The Department of Commerce is committed to working with the Government of
Ukraine to ensure that the U.S. business community is fully informed of the
above reform steps through an ongoing series of webinars, seminars, and fora with
leading U.S. executives.
The U.S.-Ukraine Business Forum, organized by our governments and by the
U.S. Chamber of Commerce, showcased the vital interest the U.S. government and
business community have in supporting Ukraine’s success. All participants
agreed that Ukraine is open for business and committed to transforming and
modernizing its economy.”
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