Ukraine Goes to the Balkans via Free Trade with Macedonia

Visiting the capital of Macedonia, Skopje, Prime Minister Viktor Yushchenko of Ukraine signed a free trade treaty with his Macedonian counterpart Ljupco Georgievski. This is the first agreement of this kind a CIS country has signed with a state that is not the former Soviet republic. According to Mr. Yushchenko, the treaty is in line with all European Union standards. Ukraine also promises to help Macedonia enter the Black Sea Cooperation Organization.

On his part, Mr. Georgievski expressed the opinion that “Macedonia regards this agreement as a challenge,” adding that he hopes for assistance in reducing the current bilateral $100 million trade deficit, AP reports. The deficit has been mainly caused by the fact that Macedonia chiefly imports raw materials, including ferrous metallurgy products, from Ukraine.

Mr. Yushchenko said at a Skopje press conference that Ukrainian enterprises have the required expertise and are prepared to join projects under the auspices of the Stability Pact for Southeastern Europe. The free trade agreement, Mr. Yushchenko believes, will make it possible to work out a model of cooperation between a European Union nonmember (Ukraine) and a state soon to become a EU associate member (Macedonia). In addition, Ukraine reiterates its interest in building a pan-European transport corridor and modernizing power and water supply facilities, Interfax- Ukraine reports. Until recently, Macedonian businessmen have been working with Ukraine through third, usually European, countries. Macedonia hopes that its goods, particularly wines, will soon be readily available on the Ukrainian market, Mr. Georgievski noted. The Macedonian prime minister also thinks such fields as transport, the military-industrial complex, and telecommunications also have good prospects for cooperation.

The free trade treaty between Ukraine and Macedonia could be ratified by the parliaments of the two countries before the end of February, UNIAN quotes Ihor Ostash, chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Foreign Affairs Committee, as saying.