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Ukraine and Belarus may reach pre-crisis level of trade this year, diplomat says

Trade between Ukraine and Belarus may reach the pre-crisis level this year, Ukraine’s charge d’affaires, Oleksandr Sosura, told reporters in Minsk on Tuesday.

“The volume of trade in the first half of 2011 – $2.7 billion – gives grounds to believe that we’ll be able to reach the level of the pre-crisis year of 2008, when our trade amounted to $5.3 billion,” Mr. Sosura said.

There are certain complications caused by Belarus’ customs union with Russia and Kazakhstan and the ensuing application of new requirements to many trade operations, he noted. “Both countries are doing work to minimize the negative consequences of this process,” he said. “I think this will not produce a profound effect on the trade and economic relations between our countries.”

Ukraine is looking for ways to cooperate with the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia, taking its membership in the World Trade Organization into consideration, Mr. Sosura noted. “It is important to gain and not to lose,” he said. “We seek to expand our opportunities, but in such a way that we don’t experience any negative effects.” //BelaPAN