Azarov: Neither Russia, nor Ukraine interested in reducing bilateral trade

13:04, 24.10.2013 1 min read

Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has said that the meeting of the presidents of Ukraine and Russia that is to be held on October 24-25 will address the fall in trade between Ukraine and Russia, among other issues.

"At present, neither Russia nor Ukraine is interested in taking any action that will reduce our trade," Azarov said at the opening of the Fourth International Black Sea Economic Forum in Livadia Palace on Thursday.

"And what does trade mean? It means jobs, it means proceeds to the budget, and it means wages for our people. Therefore, we must do everything we can, not only to maintain a stable situation, but also to expand our ambitious cooperation plans. Therefore, we believe that we should not only preserve but also build up our trade."

The prime minister noted that due to a number of restrictive measures, trade with the Russian Federation slumped by almost 25% over the first nine months of this year.

He said he had had a serious discussion about this at a meeting with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev.

"This matter will now be raised at the meeting of the presidents of Ukraine and Russia," Azarov said.