On December 20,  First Vice Prime Minister/Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine Stepan Kubiv in the course of a final press conference outlined the priorities of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade in 2019 for the direction of international trade and promotion of exports.

In the field of international trade, Stepan Kubiv identified two overriding tasks: the signing and submission for ratification of the Free Trade Agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Government of Israel, as well as the beginning of negotiations on the conclusion of a new bilateral agreement between Ukraine and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

"In October 2018, Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox assured me that the London’s priority is to preferential trade rules with Ukraine without any delays. The future Agreement will be based on the provisions of the Association Agreement to which the United Kingdom is a party, "Stepan Kubiv stressed.

 Moreover, the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade plans to start construction of the Ukrainian pavilion for the EXPO 2020 in Dubai. Advisor to the Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine Roksolana Pidlasa said that the estimated planned cost of building the national pavilion makes up $ 5.5 million. "In order to optimize the use of budget funds, the issue of using the pavilion as the building of the Embassy of Ukraine in the UAE after the completion of the EXPO 2020 is being discussed", Roksolana Pidlasa

Apart from that, the First Vice Prime Minister announced that the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade plans to introduce the Institute of trade representatives at foreign diplomatic representations. "We see the Institute of trade representative offices as an efficient tool to promote economic interests of Ukraine abroad. The form and procedures are being shaped together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, " Stepan Kubiv said.

n 2019, the Ministry also plans to develop and adopt sectoral export strategies in several areas: engineering industry, information and communication technologies, aircraft maintenance and repair, creative industries, as well as a number of cross-sectoral strategies.

 "Sectoral strategies will enable us not only to form a strategic vision for further promoting the products of promising sectors in foreign markets but also to develop an action plan for strengthening positions in existing markets and entering new ones,"  Stepan Kubiv underscored.