Ambassador Shcherbak opens L.A. Trade Mission (05/26/96)

Ambassador Shcherbak opens L.A. Trade Mission

by Anne Kokawa Prokopovych

LOS ANGELES - Citing the importance of Ukraine's involvement with the advanced technologies and investment capital of the Pacific Rim, Dr. Yuri Shcherbak, Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S., officially opened the West Coast Regional Office of the Trade and Economic Mission here on May 2.

"In my country, we regard the establishment of the L.A. Trade Mission as indisputable evidence of the broadening trade and economic relationship between our two countries," Dr. Shcherbak remarked in his address at the opening ceremony. "This is our fourth trade office, after Washington, New York and Chicago. Ukraine exports to the U.S. twice as much as we import, and we hope to exceed $1 billion this year."

"Both [Ukraine and California] have many similar economic sectors, namely machine building and metal processing, agriculture and food processing, aerospace and high technology. We are fully confident that our relationship in these sectors will be of mutual benefit. I personally have visited California several times and have seen with my own eyes the high level of industriousness and the entrepreneurial spirit among businessmen and investors on the West Coast," he added.

Dr. Shcherbak introduced the chief of the West Coast Regional Office, Vadym E. Marchuk: "He is very young, very smart and very capable. The Los Angeles office will develop and prosper under his management."

In recognition of specific contributions to U.S.-Ukraine relations, the ambassador presented Certificates of Honor to five individuals: Herbert Boeckman, president of Galpin Ford, and his wife, Jane Boeckman, chair of World Opportunities, for their efforts to bring $1.3 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine in 1995; Boris Sarnoff, president of Sarnoff Art, for his assistance in establishing the L.A. Trade Mission office and with the aforementioned humanitarian aid; Alex Kaminsky, president of AMSystems, and Michael Palmer, senior partner with PBA Public Accountants, for their assistance in establishing the L.A. Trade Mission office and arrangement of a $25 million investment project for Ukraine.

Furthering community ties

At a luncheon earlier in the day, the ambassador, his wife, Maria, and the first secretary of the Embassy, Dr. Yaroslav Voitko, met with representatives of local Ukrainian organizations.

In his address Dr. Shcherbak described the opening of the L.A. Trade Mission as a "new page in our international biography," and invited community organizations to become involved with the Trade Mission and to involve the Trade Mission in community activities, following the examples set in Washington, New York and Chicago.

The ambassador noted that after Ukraine became an independent state in 1991, the outpouring of moral and financial support from the diaspora communities provided an invaluable foundation. However, he continued, "The romantic period is behind us. Today we must enter new areas, and we need a different sort of assistance. We need intellectual help; we need advice; we need contacts. The experience of those working in research, in the government, and in business can accelerate the advancement of the Ukrainian nation, domestically and internationally."

Chornobyl's aftermath

The extent of the immediate and lingering tragedy of the 1986 disaster at the Chornobyl nuclear power station is immense, and places a staggering financial burden on the struggling Ukrainian economy. However, Chornobyl still generates about 7 percent of total electricity in Ukraine and cannot easily be shut down and replaced, Ambassador Shcherbak explained.

The severe winter that has just passed placed additional burdens on energy resources. The ambassador remarked that the extreme and extended cold weather necessitated depletion of all fuel reserves and that electrical stations were generating "with their last breath." Now that winter is over, he said, "We have no fuel. Under such circumstances, we are forced to keep Chornobyl running."

At the time of the disaster, Dr. Shcherbak was on the staff of the Kyiv Epidemiological Institute. His initial interest was professional, but the extent of human suffering and the magnitude of radiation leakage in the face of secrecy and denial by the Soviet government led to his role as a political activist. A founding member of the Green World environmental movement and later the Green Party of Ukraine, he became an outspoken critic of Soviet policy and openly laid blame for the disaster on the Soviet government.

After striving for these past 10 years for international acknowledgment and assistance to deal with the aftereffects of Chornobyl, Dr. Shcherbak said he is surprised and heartened at the positive high-level support recently expressed by U.S. officials. The House and Senate passed a joint resolution recognizing the 10th anniversary and calling on the president to provide support to Ukraine in the disaster's aftermath.

On May 1, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and Vice-President Al Gore hosted a White House ceremony where they both spoke about Chornobyl. The ambassador observed that "they did more than promise, they actually 'vowed' to do everything to help compensate for Chornobyl's losses and to stabilize Ukraine's energy situation." Mrs. Clinton has also agreed to be the honorary chairperson for Chornobyl Challenge '96.

Individual efforts cited

While concerted efforts in the nearly five years since independence have resulted in a number of significant diplomatic and economic achievements, Ambassador Shcherbak also spoke warmly about the efforts of many individuals from the U.S. and around the world who are assisting in building the Ukrainian state.

"This is wonderful, because you bring not only the romantic spirit of independent Ukraine, which you have safeguarded for all these years, but the ideals of our freedom and the will to fight for our freedom," Dr. Shcherbak remarked, address the diaspora in particular.

"You bring the knowledge of American pragmatic life, the understanding of how to build an economy and social life. You see Ukraine through different eyes, as we see Ukraine through different eyes, too, after we have seen life here. This is very important to Ukraine: your knowledge, your patriotism and especially your understanding that Ukraine needs your attention," he noted.

As a gesture to underscore his encouragement of community involvement to further the diplomatic and economic interests of Ukraine, the ambassador presented Certificates of Honor to several local individuals. Recipients included Zenon Zachariasevych, president of the California Association to Aid Ukraine (CAAU); Anne Shalauta, events director of CAAU; Arkady Mulak, chair of CAAU; Bohdan Stus, former longtime president of the Ukrainian Culture Center; and Dr. Michael and Roxolana Yarymovych, for their assistance to the Embassy with diplomatic relations with the U.S. and NATO, including the development of a commercial satellite launching program between Ukraine and the U.S. (Dr. Yarymovych is a senior vice-president of Rockwell Corp).

* * *

The Embassy of Ukraine Trade and Economic Mission West Coast Regional Office is located at 739 Swarthmore Ave., Pacific Palisades, CA 90272; telephone, (310) 230-0375; fax, (310) 2301292; e-mail, [email protected].

| Home Page |