The Minister of Norway has visited Ukraine for the first time.She started the visit to our country from Donetsk region accompanied by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Vasiliy Bondar and the Ambassador of Ukraine in Norway Vyacheslav Yatsyuk. The delegation, accompanied by the Governor of Donetsk region Aleksandr Kuts and the City Mayor Vadim Boichenko, visited ‘Pishchevik’ checkpoint and Talakovka school.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom Norway Ine Soreide has taken a look at ‘Pishchevik’ checkpoint where she spoke with the boarder patrol,region and city leaders. As Norway is realizing ‘Safe school’ project and it is working at Ukraine to learn the best practice, she visited a school in Talakovka township and communicated with the teachers and pupils.
‘This is my first visit to Mariupol. We are here with a humanitarian mission and we will continue our work in this direction helping those who need it’, Ine Soreide emphasized.
Vasiliy Bondar told that Norway sees an investment potential in Ukraine to create new working places and realize certain projects. It is primarily a renewable energy.
‘Norway is one of the partners of Ukraine. The state provides a political and practical assistance. Every year our country gets USD 25 million. It is a great amount for a country with the population of 5 million people’, the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs in Ukraine said.
As Vyacheslav Yatsyuk said there is no need to underestimate the help of Norway. Every year all financial and technical means are sent to support strategic reforms. Among the goals is a transformation of government management, energetic and judicial reforms.
‘One of the important directions of help is humanitarian direction. It is aimed to overcome humanitarian consequences of military actions and it also finances Norwegian Refugee Council and some demining projects. Moreover, Ukraine and Norway are united by deep historical ties. There is a bright fact that one of the daughters of Yaroslav Mudriy, Yelizaveta, was married a Norwegian King III Haraldr Siguðrarson’, the Ambassador of Ukraine to Norway told.
Some investment programs will be seen after this visit. These programs will be able to help Ukraine and Donetsk region with a further development.
