Hennadii Zubko says Ukraine and Iran start implementing joint economic projects

Ukraine and Iran have signed a Memorandum of Understanding during the 5th session of the Intergovernmental Ukrainian-Iranian Joint Commission for Economic and Trade Cooperation, Ukraine's Vice Prime Minister, Regional Development, Construction, Housing, and Utilities Minister, Chairman of Ukraine's delegation in Iran Hennadii Zubko commented on the signing, which took place on Monday in Tehran.

“This document will be a concrete action plan for the development of our bilateral cooperation. It defines specific terms and agents in charge for all the areas of economic cooperation,” Hennadii Zubko underlined.

“It is very important that we have decided on the transition to the implementation of specific joint projects and cooperation,” he emphasized.

According to him, the two countries will increase trade in agricultural sector, while Iran was ready to set up joint enterprises, and develop processing of agricultural products in Ukraine.

Ukraine also offered Iran to invest in its forestry, cooperate in the fishing sector, and team up in the development of infrastructure and logistics needed to facilitate trade in agricultural products, Hennadii Zubko said.

“Ukraine invited Iranian investors to participate in the privatization of Ukrainian enterprises. We have agreed to establish a joint committee on investments for the development of various forms of investment cooperation, including public-private partnership,” the Minister pointed out.

He also said Ukraine and Iran would continue to cooperate in the banking sector, and would launch the Joint Ukrainian-Iranian Business Council. Its first meeting is to take place in Tehran, Zubko said.

Besides, the Minister stated that Kyiv and Tehran were interested in further cooperation in the coal production and metallurgical sectors.

Hennadii Zubko said the countries would also expand cooperation in the production of passenger and cargo cars, subway carriages, while trade in the car production sector would also grow.

Moreover, the parties will expand cooperation in the aviation sector, in particular they would modernize the An-140-100 aircraft and jointly start its serial production.

“We agreed to expand cooperation in the aviation industry. Companies of our countries will cooperate in the areas of modernization of aircraft An-140-100 and its co-production in the design and production of new modifications of the aircraft An-140-100, in marketing and sales of passenger aircraft An-158 in Iran and the region, in the direction of the supplies of non-military civil transport aircraft An-178,” said Hennadii Zubko.

The Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine noted that Iran was ready to cooperate with Ukraine in the direction of development of combined transport using the corridor “Persian Gulf, Iran (Astara and the Caspian Sea) - Black Sea European countries”.