Concrete interest

Ukraine and Kazakhstan will take part in developing Kazakh oil and gas deposits. This was announced by Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, who ended a one-day visit to Astana on Dec. 14. According to the prime minister, concrete suggestions concerning Ukraine’s participation in the development of various deposits in East Asian countries, including Kazakhstan, were on the agenda of the negotiations with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev and Kazakh Prime Minister Danial Akhmetov.

The two sides discussed cooperation in oil transportation and the joint construction of an oil refinery. Yanukovych did not exclude the possibility that in certain cases Russia may join this cooperative effort. Ukraine’s cooperation with Kazakhstan in the sphere of electric power engineering is also promising. The question of building nuclear power stations in the form of two or three low-power reactors in Kazakhstan is being discussed. According to the conclusions of the negotiations, both sides have commissioned the interested agencies of both states to study the possibilities of Ukrainian companies to realize Kazakhstan’s plans concerning the construction of nuclear power stations, and electric power engineering and transportation infrastructure facilities on its territory.

Ukraine and Kazakhstan are also interested in Kyiv taking part in the creation of the China- Western Europe transport corridor, and in Ukrainian companies participating in the development of atomic energy in Kazakhstan. This is mentioned in the joint statement issued by the Ukrainian and Kazakh prime ministers, which was signed on the basis of the conclusions of last Thursday’s negotiations in Astana. Both sides also discussed the questions of tariff policy unification for acquiring additional volumes of cargo transports within the framework of this project.

During the press conference Prime Minister Yanukovych announced that Kazakhstan’s president will visit Ukraine on Jan. 28, 2007. His visit will be pegged to the ceremony of launching the Year of Kazakhstan in Ukraine. The prime minister stated that a Ukrainian state government commission has been created to oversee the year-long celebrations.