Ukraine and Austria pledge readiness to intensify political dialogue and are interested in strengthening economic relations amid the growth of joint trade turnover and reforms in Ukraine. This was stated by Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman during a meeting with Federal President of the Republic of Austria Alexander Van der Bellen.

"Your friendly visit is a good step towards our rapprochement, Volodymyr Groysman emphasized, we are grateful for the support of territorial integrity and condemnation of Russian aggression. We constantly feel the support of our European aspirations. We have a good economic relationship. We are close enough, and this encourages us to develop our capabilities in various spheres."

"Ukraine and Austria are closely tied, the Federal President of Austria emphasized, today we are commending the course of reforms and are talking about deepening economic, cultural and political ties between our countries".

The Head of Government stressed European integration is an irreversible foreign policy choice of Ukraine. That is why official Kyiv is counting on further intensification of the dialogue on a wide range of issues in view of the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the EU, which is coming up in the second half of the year

The Prime Minister briefed the President of Austria on the current economic situation in Ukraine and plans to strengthen economy and to ensure sustainable growth to the tune of 5-7% annually. The adoption of a large package of bills aimed at solving 5 main tasks, in particular, supporting and protecting business, deregulation, improving the business climate, facilitating access to finance and attracting investment, and encouraging innovation will contribute to the said goal. The creation of Financial Intelligence Service and Anti-Corruption Court, and the continuation of the initiated reforms are among top priorities.

In this context the Federal President of Austria emphasized his visit to Ukraine was of utmost importance. Thus, the Austrian delegation included about 40 representatives of business circles who took part in the Ukrainian-Austrian business forum, which today opens its work in Kyiv, and also managed to make the necessary contacts for the development of bilateral business projects, especially in the field of tourism, ecology, etc.

In the course of the meeting special attention has been given  to the situation in the east. "The annexation of Crimea and the occupation of the eastern regions are illegal. This is a drastic violation of international law. Russia seems to be under the impression that its actions will remain without punishment. However, we need to prevent the existence of such an impression”, the Federal President of Austria underscored.

Background

In terms of bilateral trade in goods between Ukraine and European countries, Austria ranked 14th with a share of 2.5% of the total. In 2017, the trade turnover between our countries increased by 18.5% and reached $ 1.2 billion

Austria as a member of the EU is included in the list of promising markets for the export of Ukrainian products in Ukraine Export Strategy - Roadmap of Strategic trade in 2017-2021 years.

Last year, Austria invested a total of $1344.5 million in the Ukrainian economy, which accounts for a 3.4% share of the total volume of foreign direct investment attracted by the country.