Zlenko meets with government officials, community leaders, during visit to Canada (04/08/01)

Zlenko meets with government officials, community leaders, during visit to Canada

OTTAWA - Ukraine's Foreign Affairs Minister Anatolii Zlenko began his official visit to Canada with a meeting with heads of the most influential Ukrainian organizations in Canada, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, the Ukrainian World Congress and the World Federation of Ukrainian Women's Organizations, Ukrinform reported.

The minister also met with Canadian government officials, including Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, and his Canadian counterpart, Foreign Minister John Manley.

During the meeting with Minister Manley, Mr. Zlenko was informed that Canada welcomes Ukraine's latest efforts to implement comprehensive economic reform and the positive effects that reform has had on the lives of the people of Ukraine.

Mr. Manley confirmed that Canada will continue to support Ukraine in its efforts to build a democratic society. The two foreign ministers discussed a broad range of issues involving Ukrainian-Canadian cooperation. They appraised the current level of economic cooperation between the two countries and considered the possibility of boosting cooperation in the area of investment in the agro-industrial and energy sectors. The Canadian foreign minister confirmed his country's pledge to assist in accelerating Ukraine's admission into the World Trade Organization.

In connection with the fact that Ukraine currently holds the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council, the two foreign ministers discussed the activities of that body, particularly the preparation of a draft resolution on the situation in the Middle East. They also paid particular attention to Ukrainian-Canadian cooperation in consolidating international community's efforts to resolve issues connected with the closure of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant.

Messrs. Zlenko and Manley also exchanged views on the current political situation in Ukraine. Mr. Zlenko reaffirmed the Ukrainian leadership's efforts to facilitate transparent and objective investigation of the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of journalist Heorhii Gongadze. He also expressed the Ukrainian leadership's intention to strictly abide by the Ukrainian Constitution and laws.

The two foreign ministers signed an intergovernmental framework agreement on the destruction of anti-personnel mines in Ukraine. Ihor Hrushko, head of the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Ministry, said the signing of the agreement marked the start of implementation of the Ukrainian-Canadian project for destruction of Ukraine's stockpiles of the anti-personnel mines that have been banned under international conventions. The framework agreement defines the mechanism for implementation of the project, which was initiated in 1999, and opens the way for "practical work" with donor countries on financing the project.

Foreign Affairs Minister Zlenko ended his visit to Canada on March 27 with a series of meetings with Canadian leaders, including Prime Minister Chrétien. Mr. Zlenko conveyed a personal message from the president of Ukraine, which provided an assessment of the current state of Ukraine-Canada relations and outlined the prospects for broadening economic cooperation between the two nations.

In turn, Prime Minister Chrétien confirmed that Canada is ready to lobby Ukraine's interests within the framework of G-7. The parties also discussed the necessity for G-7 countries to fulfill their obligations with regard to the Chornobyl nuclear plant.

Mr. Zlenko also met with Minister for International Cooperation Maria Minna. Canada announced its decision to provide humanitarian aid of $40,000 (Canadian) for flood victims in the Zakarpattia region. The two ministers shared their views on ways to broaden Canadian-Ukrainian cooperation in such realms as land market, farming, and the fuel and energy complex.

At a meeting with Minister of International Trade Pierre Pettigrew, Mr. Zlenko discussed the state and prospects for bilateral trade between Ukraine and Canada, as well as investment cooperation in the priority industries. The ministers hailed positive tendencies in trade relations between their two countries. The turnover of goods between Ukraine and Canada in 2000 increased almost twofold from the previous year and is the biggest in the history of this bilateral relationship.

Earlier in the visit, while speaking with the participants of the meeting with Ukrainian Canadian community leaders, Minister Zlenko pointed to the great role that Ukrainians abroad and, in particular, Ukrainian Canadians, played in the Ukrainian nation's struggle for independence and in supporting Ukraine during the first few years of its newly regained independence.

In turn, the UCC President Eugene Czolij stressed that Ukrainian Canadians are proud of the fact that Canada was the first Western country to recognize Ukraine's independence. He added that the Ukrainian community will continue to make efforts to ensure that Canada remains Ukraine's reliable partner.

Mr. Czolij touched on a number of issues related to Canada-Ukraine relations, including the 10th anniversary of Ukrainian independence, and stressed the importance of dealing with the current situation in Ukraine in a timely, transparent and democratic fashion.

"The UCC always welcomes the opportunity to meet with representatives from Ukraine," said Mr. Czolij. "Through our discussions we continue to foster a dialogue between Canada and Ukraine, which strengthens the special partnership between the two countries."

Speaking on behalf of the Ukrainian World Congress, Secretary General Viktor Pedenko noted that Ukraine must use its diaspora's great potential to its utmost. He assured the foreign affairs minister that Ukrainian organizations outside the borders of Ukraine are ready to assist the Ukrainian nation and to press its interests abroad.

During the meeting the participants discussed ways to deepen foreign Ukrainians' ties with their motherland and the involvement of Ukrainian Canadians in the development of Ukraine-Canada bilateral cooperation, first of all, in the economic sphere.

Minister Zlenko also informed the participants of the meeting about the arrangements for the Third World Forum of Ukrainians that will be held during celebrations of the 10th anniversary of Ukraine's independence.

Also present at the meeting, which was held at 7 Rideau Gate, the Canadian government's official guest residence, was Ukraine's ambassador to Canada, Dr. Yuri Shcherbak.

The next day Mr. Zlenko attended a luncheon hosted by the Canadian government. Among the guests were: Canada's former governor general, Ramon John Hnatyshyn; Peter Stollery, chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs; A. Raynell Andreychuk, deputy chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs; businessman James C. Temerty; and other senior government officials, as well as UCC President Czolij.

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