Twelve cooperation memorandums signed during the 5th International Forum in Kherson oblast
Recently, on September 23–24, Nova Kakhovka, Kherson oblast, hosted the 5th annual international investment forum “Tauric Horizons: Attractiveness, Cooperation, Investments, and Economic Development.” Over two days, local authorities and businesspeople tried to show the invited visitors the region’s investment potential and enlist financial support from representatives of foreign capital. This year Nova Kakhovka saw a lot of the latter. The organizers estimate that about 350 representatives of Ukrainian and foreign businesses and local government bodies took part in the forum. Among the forum visitors were company and embassy representatives from Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, Russia, Belarus, Lithuania, the UK, Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia, Austria, Hungary, India, China, and Canada.
By far the largest delegation came from Saudi Arabia with His Royal Highness Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul-Rahman Al Sudairi at the head. The prince said it was his first, but not last, visit to the Kherson region. “This visit has aroused a feeling of respect and love for Ukraine in me,” he commented. “We have acquired a lot of friends, since we arrived. We are sure it is our first, but not last, visit.”
In his turn, a Lithuanian Embassy representative said the following about the forum: “The impression is we are in a ‘little Davos.’ [The forum] is very powerful and democratic.”
A Turkish diplomat assessed the event in equally positive terms: “We maintain very good and well-developing political relations with Ukraine. Ankara is going soon to consider the question of investments and the reciprocal cancellation of visas. But, as neighbors, we would like our relations to develop faster. The Kherson region is very attractive for Turkish investors. Yet there are not so many Turkish businesspeople here. In particular, some high-profile Turkish companies are still wary of investing in Kherson oblast. I think the cause of this is a number of stereotypes about Ukraine and a lot of red tape,” Hussein Ergani, Consul general of the Turkish Republic in Odesa, said.
In his welcoming speech, Kherson Oblast Governor Mykola Kostiak described the Kherson region as a pollution-free area rich in water resources, biosphere preserves, fertile soil, and hardworking people. He gave investors the guarantee of stability and immunity. “Our main goal is to create interesting and comfortable conditions for investors. Each of our steps will be transparent, and the public can monitor each of my decisions. I guarantee that we will be able to create comfortable and beneficial conditions for you, investors,” he said.
According to the organizers, the Nova Kakhovka forum clearly signals the public launch of a wide-scale campaign to rapidly reform the entire socio-economic sphere of Kherson oblast. For the program of this year’s forum comprised the following roundtable debates: “Agro Business and Produce Processing,” “Industry, Transport, Alternative Energy Sources, and Energy Saving,” “Tourism and Recreation,” and “Interregional Development.” Besides, the forum heard a speech by the USAID Link project manager Howard Ockman and held the following seminars: “Investment Attraction,” “Innovations and Commercialization of Additional Research,” “Developing the Tourist Sector, Increasing the Quality of Tourist Services.”
As a result of the forum, Kherson oblast managed to sign 12 cooperation memorandums. Particularly, the local authorities enlisted support from the Gomel Oblast Executive Committee, Belarus, in the commercial, economic, scientific, technological, humanitarian, and cultural spheres. They also made a deal with the Chinese company Fixam Group on establishing a multifunctional geothermal rehabilitation township, Inter Medical Eco City, on Arabat Spit, on carrying out a transport infrastructure facilities project, River and Sea Transshipment Terminals for Grain and Oil-Bearing Plants, as well as on carrying out an investment project to set up farm produce wholesale markets in Kherson oblast. The Vanguard agro holding (Ukraine) is going to invest in the construction of a poultry factory in Bilozersky district. The Hungarian consortium Organica Technology showed interest in cooperation to carry out a waste treatment plant reconstruction project. Also aroused interest the investment projects to develop an oil refinery in Kherson oblast, the logistic center of the Green Team and Windcraft companies, as well as cooperation with ENECO’s Wind Energy Investment Fund Ltd. in the development of a wind energy generation in Kherson oblast, cooperation with the Star investment company in implementing a “green energy” project and a BCS Energy biomass power generation project, as well as in establishing the Factory in Kherson commercial and cultural center.
TO THE POINT
It was announced at the Nova Kakhovka International Investment Forum on September 23, 2011, that Ukraine was going to open its first virtual international tourist and investment office in Kherson oblast. In the report of the official website of the State Agency for Science, Innovations, and Informatization of Ukraine headed by Volodymyr Semynozhenko, ex-vice-premier of Ukraine for humanitarian issues, on the public launching of a campaign to rapidly reform Kherson oblast’s socioeconomic sphere, within the framework of which the virtual office was set up, this event was called “mental terrorist act.”
