switzerland in ukraine
Building on a century of Swiss-Ukrainian diplomatic relations Ukraine’s newly appointed Ambassador to Switzerland Artem Rybchenko seeks to build business bridges
About the author: Artem Rybchenko is the Ambassador of Ukraine to Switzerland Ukraine’s newly appointed Ambassador to Switzerland Artem Rybchenko took up his position at the end of August 2018. As he settled into his new posting, Ambassador Rybchenko shared his first impressions with Business Ukraine magazine and spoke about the prospects for developing deeper economic cooperation between Ukraine and Switzerland. You have arrived in Switzerland as the head of Ukraine’s diplomatic mission at a time when the two countries are marking the centenary of diplomatic ties. What can you tell us about the events of 1918? This year, Ukraine and Switzerland celebrate one hundred years since the establishment of bilateral relations. Ukraine’s first diplomatic mission to Switzerland began on 10 October 1918. The former Healthcare Minister of the Ukrainian People’s Republic, Yevmen Lukasevych, chaired that original mission. At the same time, the former Minister of Public Communications of the Ukrainian People’s Republic, Yevhen Sakovych, went to Geneva to serve as Consul, while Oleksandr Vilinskyi became Consul General in Zurich. Economic contacts have always played a prominent role in bilateral relations between Switzerland and Ukraine. This was also the case one hundred years ago, with the establishment of diplomatic relations leading to the launch of a number of common economic projects including the “Ukrayina” trade association chaired by financier Mr. Biaren. The most successful projects were in the light industry and financial sectors. 12
As you settle into your new ambassadorial role, what do you see as the priorities for Swiss-Ukrainian relations? It is important to recognize that our Swiss partners are expecting to see evidence of the successful and systematic implementation of reforms in Ukraine. This relates specifically to the process of decentralization, where Swiss experience and funding have played significant roles. For Ukrainian diplomats, it also means adopting a more integrated approach to the international promotion of reforms currently taking place in Ukraine. We need to be more vocal about the results of the reforms we are implementing. For instance, at the beginning of September our Embassy organized an economic roundtable to acquaint ourselves with representatives of the Joint Chamber of Commerce of Switzerland, the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Switzerland, and a range of other potential partners. While hosting the event, I realized that most of the participants were not aware of specific reforms underway in Ukraine and knew little of their results. They were interested to learn of the business opportunities presented by Ukraine’s new currency legislation and the liberalization of capital flows. Information on Ukrainian visa-free travel to European destinations including Switzerland was also of interest. This allows Ukrainians interested in cooperation with their Swiss colleagues to travel without obstacles. How can Ukraine promote itself as a destination for Swiss investments? It is vital to present a positive image of Ukraine as an investment destination. We are now seeing considerable investment progress in Ukraine and this helps diplomats to attract the interest of potential international investors. A number of positive developments in recent months highlight the effectiveness of cooperation between President Poroshenko’s team, the Ukrainian government, the National Bank of Ukraine, the country’s Investment Council, and other bodies engaged in investment attraction. These include the USD 200 million investment of Bayer into a Ukrainian seed factory and the USD 450 million agreement with Norway’s NBT to construct a major plant in the renewable energy sector. We have recently received confirmation regarding the launch of IKEA in Ukraine. This autumn, leading low cost airline Ryanair begins flights from
Ukrainian airports. Swedish clothing retail giant H&M recently opened its first store in Ukraine. The first General Electric locomotive arrived in the country in September. Then there is the signing of the biggest agricultural sector contract in Ukrainian history, covering the sale of selected Mriya Holding companies to Saudi Arabia’s Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company. It is very satisfying to see leading Swiss media outlets reporting on these investment stories from Ukraine. Such positive coverage sends out a very strong signal to foreign capital and to potential Swiss investors. Do you plan any specific initiatives in order to promote better business links between Ukraine and Switzerland? In my opinion, the development of successful mutual relations requires mechanisms that create possibilities to develop partnerships. As Ambassador, I have decided to create a platform under the auspices of the Embassy to help facilitate communication between business representatives from both countries. The goal is to launch this platform by the end of this year. Unfortunately, there is still lack of trust in the Ukrainian business system. I hope this platform will become a place for strategic dialogue where all parties will feel secure.
Switzerland is now Ukraine’s number seven investor. How can Ukraine and Switzerland maintain the growth dynamic in bilateral economic ties established in recent years? Ukrainian-Swiss relations stand on firm foundations. It is important to build on this historic basis of friendly and businesslike relations and to use existing achievements to support further mutually beneficial processes in the future. The October 2018 visit of a Swiss economic mission chaired by the State Secretary of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs Ms. Marie-Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch to Ukraine is a great example of what I mean. Ms. Ineichen-Fleisch first visited Ukraine in the early years of the country’s independence. This new visit now takes place precisely 100 years after the initial establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. I am sure that Ukraine and Switzerland will maintain the fruitful and dynamic relations they currently enjoy. High-level visits like this will contribute to the process.