KUALA LUMPUR: Charge d'affaires at the Ukrainian embassy in Malaysia Denys Mykhailiuk has announced ambitious plans for Ukraine-Asean bilateral trade, aiming to reach US$5 billion by 2025.
Currently standing at US$1.85 billion, the trade relationship is poised for growth, with focus on increasing investments through joint mutually beneficial projects with Asean countries.
In a briefing today, Mykhailiuk said the goal of Ukraine is to strengthen cooperation with the bloc under the presidency of Laos and in cooperation with other Asean member states in areas such as food and agriculture, digitalisation, trade, energy, disaster management, demining, as well as social and cultural cooperation, benefiting both Ukraine and the regional countries.
It also intends to support the exchange of knowledge, ideas and innovations, contributing to the growth of all relevant parties, he added.
"In recent years, Ukraine and Asean countries have been working together more closely. This is happening because leaders from both sides are having important discussions and there are strong connections between their parliaments," Mykhailiuk told Business Times.
Mykhailiuk said looking ahead, Ukraine aims to deepen its engagement with Asean, unlocking the full potential of their relationship for the benefit of present and future generations.
In the digital sector, potential cooperation includes enhancing cyber resilience and security, researching cybersecurity projects, and promoting information sharing on cyber threats, he said.
The power of Ukraine's resilient systems is demonstrated by the ability to withstand constant cyberattacks from Russian actors.
In 2022, more than 7,000 cyberattacks were detected in Ukraine.
"Despite this, Ukraine has managed to counter Russia's cyber attacks over the years," he added.
It maintains positive growth dynamics and remains an industry, increasing exports and generating foreign exchange earnings in the Ukrainian economy during the war, said Mykhailiuk.
Ukraine also plans to partner with Asean in food and agriculture through food trade facilitation; elimination of technical barriers for food and agriculture trade, as well as promotion of goods sea movement and preparation of a roadmap for securing food and agriculture supply chains from Ukraine to Asean member states.
"The population of Asean member states amounts to over 663.9 million people, which creates the need to secure food and agriculture," he said.
In terms of trade, Mykhailiuk said the focus is on facilitating trade and investment relations, while in energy, efforts are directed towards promoting energy efficiency and security, along with capacity building among Asean member states.
"Disaster management cooperation entails capacity building and sharing experiences in disaster prevention and response, with an aim to explore further collaboration," he said.
Ukraine also seeks collaboration with Asean on mine action initiatives for landmine clearance.
"We want to partner with Asean in demining through exploration of the possibility of cooperation between relevant Ukrainian authorities and ARMAC; and cooperation with regards to demining of marine areas, areas affected by natural disasters and conflicts," he added.
Additionally, in social and cultural realms, he said the aim is to raise awareness of Ukrainian-Asean traditions and promote cultural exchanges.
Mykhailiuk said Ukraine trusts that an active engagement in the Asean sectoral dialogue shall open up new opportunities to expand horizons and contribute to a sustainable and mutually beneficial partnership aimed at shared prosperity and sustainability.
Ukraine has already developed strong economic ties with Asean, and the number of bilateral trade agreements with member states amounts to 57 as of today.
The bilateral turnover between Ukraine and Asean peaked at US$3.3 billion in 2021, reflecting the growing momentum of their partnership, said Mykhailiuk.