Ukraine's President attended business forum

Victor Yushchenko said the main task for the government is to build a competitive economy in Ukraine, president's press office reported.

“Creating a competitive economy is formulating proper market rules,” he told participants of the  Ukraine-Lithuania business forum in Kyiv.

The President said Ukraine’s economy had been growing quite rapidly over the past several months. He added that the country’s political stability had enabled Moody’s change its rating from stable to positive. Ukraine has also achieved results in fighting corruption, according to Transparency International, he said. Yushchenko said Ukraine was undergoing positive political and economic changes.

“Our goal is to join European processes. We are holding a very dynamic dialogue with the European Union,” he said, thanking the Lithuanian government and personally Valdas Adamkus for supporting Ukraine’s bid to join the EU and NATO.

Mr. Yushchenko said Ukraine should pass twelve more bills to join the World Trade Organization. 

“I am convinced the working group will present a positive report on Ukraine’s WTO accession on December 21. I am confident in that. We have done almost everything to make it happen,” he said, adding that the Ukrainian market was becoming more attractive.

The President said Ukraine appreciated its cooperation with Lithuania and expressed hopes the two countries would build closer trade and investment ties. He said Lithuania’s direct investments in the local economy had grown recently, with over 160 Lithuanian companies operating in our country.

Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus said he hoped business contacts and projects between the two countries were based on “emotional ties between our nations.” He said Ukraine had always been Lithuania’s important neighbor in the region and reassured the Ukrainian colleague his country would support Ukraine on its “path of modernization, economic stabilization and European integration.”