Thursday, January 30 2020 19:25

ArmInfo. Today, the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Armenia Ivan Kuleba presented his credentials to  President Armen Sarkissian, the press service of Armenian President  informs.  President Sarkissian congratulated the newly appointed  Ambassador and wished him success.

He expressed confidence that his  experience and skills would be used to strengthen relations between  the two countries.  The parties noted that the two countries and  peoples are connected with deep historical roots which creates a  solid foundation for the development of the Armenian-Ukrainian  relations.  

President Sarkissian said that the time has come to make more  practical steps in the relations between the two states and noted  that opportunities for cooperation are much bigger than the current  level.  

The Ambassador of Ukraine underscored that during his tenure in  office he would do his best to further strengthen and move forward  the mutually beneficial cooperation in different areas.  

Speaking of the expansion of the economic ties, the interlocutors  stressed the importance of the active work of the intergovernmental  commission. Along with the traditional areas of cooperation, they  also stressed the importance of collaboration, exchange of experience  and implementation of the mutually beneficial programs in the areas  of modern technologies, agriculture, and food security.  As a  successful platform for cooperation, they noted cooperation between  the parliaments of the two countries and work of the existing  friendship groups.  The role of Armenian community of Ukraine, which  is actively involved in the social, political, economic and cultural  life of the country, was highly praised. It was noted that it serves  as a bridge for the strengthening the friendly relations of the two  countries.  

To recall, before Ivan Kuleba's appointment the post of Ambassador of  Ukraine to the RA was held by General Petro Litvin, who was appointed  by order of the former president of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko in June  2018. When Volodimyr Zelensky came to power, Litvin was relieved of  his post. Before Litvin, Ukraine had no ambassador in Armenia for  almost three years. Petro Poroshenko recalled the previous head of  the diplomatic mission Ivan Kukhta back in July 2015 as a reaction of  Ukraine to the official position of Yerevan on the Crimea issue.

By decree of the new Ukrainian leader, Ivan Kuleba was appointed  Ambassador to Armenia in December 2019. Prior to this, Kuleba served  as Ambassador of Ukraine to Kazakhstan. Kuleba is a career diplomat  (born in 1953), a native of Poltava region. From 1997 to 2000 he was  the ambassador of Ukraine to Egypt.  In 2003-2004, he served as  Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine. From 2004 to 2009 he was the  ambassador of Ukraine to the Czech Republic.

According to Armenian official statistics, as of the end of November  2019, the trade turnover between Armenia and Ukraine for 11 months  amounted to $ 150.4 million (with an annual decline of 3.2%), of  which exports amounted to $ 21.5 million (an increase of 32%), and  imports - $ 128.9 million (a decrease by 7.3%).