Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba discussed with the President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine Andy Hunder and the Executive Director of the European Business Association Anna Derevyanko the rebooting of the Exporters and Investors Council under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, as well as the synergy of business and diplomatic activity, aimed to develop trade and leverage investment.

The meeting took place in the format of a video conference on Tuesday, May 19.

“In the USA, Asian countries, EU States, the protection of domestic business abroad, trade development, investment attraction are seen as the key functions of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs. Currently, we are building a similar effective system of economic diplomacy in Ukraine. I invite the leading Ukrainian business to join efforts," the Foreign Minister stressed.

The Minister reminded of the restart of the Exporters and Investors Council under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The meeting of its 80 percent updated staff will take place on May 21. The participants will be organized on a sectoral basis and are to develop a joint action plan for the year.

Moreover, Dmytro Kuleba shared with Andy Hunder and Anna Derevyanko his vision of cooperation between the diplomatic system and business, which will allow to fill the agenda of relations with other countries with real cooperation projects, to liberalize trade, to expand the geography of exports, to leverage investment to Ukraine.

The Foreign Minister believes that successful Ukrainian business can also play a key role in establishing an effective system of economic diplomacy. These include professional expertise, business involvement in diplomatic education, and special training and courses.

In turn, Anna Derevyanko and Andy Hunder expressed gratitude for such an initiative of the Ministry, which, according to them, can bring cooperation between business and diplomacy to a qualitatively new level and help protect Ukrainian economic interests. They expressed readiness to cooperate within the framework of the Exporters and Investors Council, as well as in the direction of the development of the evaluation system and diplomatic education.

Dmytro Kuleba and Andy Hunder paid special attention to the ways of encouraging foreign companies that striving to relocate production from other regions closer to the target markets, to locate production in Ukraine.