U.S. Embassy's Commercial Service marks fifth anniversary (11/09/97)

U.S. Embassy's Commercial Service marks fifth anniversary

by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - The Commercial Service of the United States Embassy, which coordinates and promotes U.S. business activity in Ukraine, celebrated its fifth anniversary on October 14. The event was upstaged by the third round of the Kuchma-Gore Commission meeting in Kyiv, but that did not deter hundreds of American businesspersons and Ukrainian government officials from gathering at the American Business Center to commend the work the Commercial Service has done since its inception in 1992.

Special Ambassador to the CIS Richard Morningstar, who led the Kuchma-Gore U.S. delegation here, U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine William Green Miller, Ukraine's Vice Prime Minister for Economic Reform Serhii Tyhypko and Ukraine's Ambassador to the U.S. Yuri Shcherbak all arrived almost two hours late because the Kuchma-Gore talks went past their scheduled time.

So while the guests munched on hors d'ouevres and sipped champagne, Dolores F. Harrod, U.S. Department of Commerce deputy assistant secretary for international operations, and U.S. Senior Commercial Officer to Ukraine Andrew Bihun, who heads the Commercial Service, spoke about the service's achievments. Mr. Bihun praised the work of his predecessor, Stefan Wasylko, in establishing the service and extended an invitation to all businesses to use the service's facilities.

The Commercial Service was established in the summer of 1992 by the U.S. Embassy to develop U.S.-Ukrainian business cooperation by promoting expansion of trade and investment. It supports U.S. business investment in Ukraine by establishing and maintaining lines of communication between the Ukrainian government and private enterprises, assisting both governments in outlining prospects for further development and helping to resolve problems as they arise.

The Commercial Service, which is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, as part of its market analyses, publishes structured market research reports called "Industry Sector Analyses" and profiles of specific Ukrainian market conditions in its "International Market Insight." It also features an agent/distributor service, which provides customized searches for qualified agents, distributors and representatives for U.S. firms, and the Trade Opportunity Program, which provides sales leads from Ukrainian firms seeking to buy or represent U.S. products.

In addition, the Commercial Service has a Business Information Service for the Newly Independent States (BISNIS), a clearinghouse for U.S. companies exploring business prospects in the Ukrainian market. BISNIS provides clients with trade leads, current information on commercial law and regulations, economic and industrial market data, available financing for projects and trade promotion activities, among other services.

A new program is the Search for Partners program, which is divided into Search for Partners in the United States and Search for Partners in Ukraine. It is an electronic information service that lists Ukrainian businesses looking for U.S. partners and vice versa. For the latter, U.S. businesses can fill out forms at the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington or at any of its district offices, and at the Commercial Service offices in Kyiv, describing what the particular business is looking for and listing requirements.

The Commercial Service's wide range of activity converges at the American Business Center in Kyiv. The center was authorized by the Freedom Support Act of 1992 and is managed by the Commercial Service. The offices occupy 200 square meters in a building in Kyiv that is also home to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce of Ukraine and the U.S. Embassy's Foreign Agricultural Service. The center offers U.S. businesspersons local and international communications access, short-term office and meeting room rentals, conference facilities, interpretation and translation services, a commercial library and secretarial services.

For more information on the Commercial Service and the American Business Center, call (202) 482-4655 in Washington for general information or (044) 246-81-70 for the Kyiv offices.

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