Both with Libya and the West

Ukraine seems to be finding understanding with the Arab world and is gradually discovering ways of returning to the markets in the Middle East and Northern Africa. Another proof of this understanding is the state visit of Libya’s leader Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, the first such visit in the history of Ukraine-Libya relations. The visit began on Nov. 4, 2008. Prior to this President Leonid Kuchma and President Viktor Yushchenko visited Libya, in 2003 and April 2008 respectively. The leader of Libya is considered to be very influential in the Arab world and Africa.

Holding a reception for the Libyan guest in his residence, the Ukrainian president highly praised the dialogue that the two leaders had had in the format of a tete-a-tete meeting. “We had a very warm, open discussion on all aspects of our bilateral relations,” said Yushchenko, adding that both parties proceed from the premise that the Ukraine-Libya relations hold a great potential for development. “The main goal of our meeting today is to free this potential,” he said.

Apart from bilateral relations, Yushchenko discussed with Qaddafi Ukraine’s foreign-policy goals: EU and NATO integration and relations with Russia. “I was happy to hear that [Qaddafi] understands the key processes in Ukraine,” said the Ukrainian president.

During the Ukraine-Libya negotiations that involved multiple participants, the parties discussed a number of issues related to bilateral economic cooperation, in particular in aviation, oil and gas industry, agriculture, and the humanitarian sphere. The minister of defense and the general director of the state-owned company Ukrspetseksport were also present, which implies that cooperation in the military industrial sector was also discussed.

After the negotiations, the leaders of both countries attended the signing of the Convention on the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Memorandum on Mutual Understanding in Standartization and Metrology.

However, it is unlikely that any specific agreements will be signed in other sectors, in particular in the military industrial one, and especially in Kyiv. There were no reports of signed military contracts after Qaddafi’s meetings with the Russian and Belarusian leaders. The Libyan leader appears to be wanting to hear the proposals from the countries he has visited on this tour and then draw conclusions regarding contracts. Therefore, a lot depends on whether Ukrainian offers turn out to be more advantageous than those of Russia and Belarus.

COMMENTARY

How important is the Libyan leader’s visit to Ukraine and what prospects does it offer?

Viacheslav SHVED, chairman, Middle East, Asia, and Pacific Department, National Institute for Strategic Studies:

“I would like to say that the visit of Qaddafi, the leader of the Libyan revolution, is the first state visit to Ukraine from the Arab world since our country regained its independence. Ukraine’s diplomatic efforts have finally achieved palpable success in restoring parity in the number of state visits made by Ukrainian and Arab leaders. In the past year Libya appreciably strengthened its international position and launched very fruitful negotiations, signing agreements with a number of leading countries of the world, such as the USA, Italy, and Russia.

“We should maintain the dynamics of our relations with Libya because now, especially in the hard conditions of the global crisis, the Libyan market and positions in relation to Libya are an object of intensive competition. In this regard Ukraine has certain prospects. First of all, I believe that one of the main issues will be the future of the land plots on Libyan territory that were offered to Ukraine during Viktor Yushchenko’s visit there in April 2008.

“The question that is highly relevant to us now is the signing of a mutual agreement that would synchronize Ukraine’s exploitation of oil and gas deposits on Libyan territory and Libya’s renting of some of Ukraine’s lands on which wheat and other crops would be grown for Libya for, say, five years. Every year this country needs nearly 1.5 million tons of grain. If Ukraine manages to reach understanding with Lybia on this, it will be a very important agreement.

“As a rapidly developing country, Libya is also interested in developing high-tech products in cooperation with Ukraine and obtaining such products as, for example, planes. This is a very promising direction. We have a great number of opportunities for numerous joint projects in agriculture, as well as in developing Libya’s tourist infrastructure. Perhaps Ukraine could find a niche for itself in this sector.

“Libya is the product of not only Arab Muslim civilization, but also Hellenic culture and the entire pallette of Mediterranean nations that lived on its territory. Its architectural monuments include such unique buildings dating back to the Hellenic period that are not to be found even in contemporary Italy and Greece. Opening Libya for Ukraine is a very promising thing.

“One cannot ignore the inter-civilizational significance of this visit. I believe that it will provide impetus for Ukraine’s more active penetration into, or rather return to, the Mediterranean civilization with which it is very closely related. It will also boost Ukraine’s entire policy on the Middle East. I am sure that this visit will raise Ukraine’s diplomacy with the Middle East to a distinctly higher level.

“There are many points of convergence between Ukraine and Libya, enough to develop and realize common interests. It is true that the policies of the Libyan government are marked by certain nuances or peculiarities. A lot can be said about the reaction of the Arab world to former elements of the U.S. policy in the Middle East and Israel’s position on some issues.

“Libya is pursuing a very flexible policy of building closer relations with the USA. True, there are discrepancies in the way these countries interpret certain aspects of international life today. US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice recently visited Libya, thereby opening a new chapter in US-Libya relations. Numerous American businesses are coming to Libya today.

“We need to know how to act in the contemporary world which is complex, multipolar, and multidimensional. Even if there are certain differences in our views on this or that issue, this should not hamper the overall development of relations and the direction it is taking. The more frequent our top-level political contacts with Libya and other Arab countries, the greater the understanding between our nations and governments. I believe that the development of Ukraine-Libya relations does not in any way contradict our goals of European and NATO integration and our strategic partnership with the USA. On the contrary, with a calculated, forward-looking, and strategically sound policy, we will be able to make our own positive contribution to better understanding between Libya and the West.

“Qaddafi’s visits to Russia and Belarus have shown that national interests do not coincide even with the political preferences and positions of the leaders. There have been a lot of speculations about what will be the outcome of the Libyan leader‘s visit to Russia in what regars the military industrial complex. However, I believe that the results are somewhat more modest than expected. So let us not guess about the future, but recognize the fact that we have a great common pool of interests in the military industrial sphere. This pertains to Ukraine’s involvement in repairing military equipment. At one stage Ukrainian specialists worked hard to teach military trainees from Libya. Our success will eventually depend on how seriously prepared and justified the draft agreements are and how much they suit the interests of our countries. Let us hope that things will improve in this important aspect of Ukraine-Libya relations.

“Qaddafi is a notable leader in the Arab world, and I hope that his visit will prompt a number of foremost Arab leaders to come to Ukraine on further highest-level state visits.”