The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Volodymyr Rybak highly appreciates Ukrainian-Lithuanian dialogue, as well as the increasing importance of parliaments of both states in developing inter-state relations

Press Service
25 March 2013, 19:40

The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Volodymyr Rybak highly appreciates Ukrainian-Lithuanian dialogue, as well as the increasing importance of parliaments of both states in developing inter-state relations.

“Ukraine appreciates high level of mutual trust and support between our countries. I would like to ascertain that the vector of strategic partnership with Lithuania has been and still remains an important priority of foreign policy of Ukraine,” said Volodymyr Rybak during the meeting with the Chairman of the Seimas of the Lithuanian Republic Vydas Gedvilas on Monday.     

According to him, the Ukrainian Party relies on continuing political dialogue both at the level of presidents, governments and ministries, and is interested in continuing of traditionally friendly and fruitful systemic inter-parliamentary cooperation at all levels.  

Volodymyr Rybak believes that deputy groups of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the Seimas of the Lithuanian Republic should play an important role in developing partnership cooperation. He informed that as of today, 52 people’s deputies of Ukraine have applied for membership in such a group.

 Noting that the Lithuanian Republic is an important trade partner of Ukraine, Volodymyr Rybak emphasized that our country is interested in further development of bilateral trade and economic cooperation. In this context, he informed that following the results of 2012, trade in goods and services between Ukraine and Lithuania have reached record high amount of USD 1 billion 254 million.

Volodymyr Rybak appreciated positive dynamics of direct Lithuanian investments into the Ukrainian economy and stressed that the Ukrainian Party is interested in further development of investment cooperation.

The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada expressed conviction that signing of the Memorandum on Cooperation between State Investment Agencies of Ukraine and Lithuania shall become an effective instrument for developing our cooperation in the investment sphere.

Volodymyr Rybak stood for the necessity to pay more attention to development of bilateral cooperation in the humanitarian sphere.

 He believes that practical realization of such important projects as celebration of the 200 birth anniversary of Taras Shevchenko and holding of Days of Culture of Ukraine in Lithuania in 2014 should be one of the top priority tasks.

“We hope that the Lithuanian Parliament and higher political authorities of Lithuania shall promote celebration of the 200 birth anniversary of Taras Shevchenko in the Republic of Lithuania,” said Volodymyr Rybak.  

In his turn, Vydas Gedvilas informed that the friendship group with Ukraine is the biggest in the Seimas of the Lithuanian Republic.