Photo from UNIAN
Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu is set to pay a visit to Ukraine.
Ukraine and Israel have confirmed readiness to ink a free trade agreement between the countries, which is to be ratified by both parliaments.
On June 19, 2018, the 11th meeting of Joint Ukrainian-Israeli Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation took place in Jerusalem under the co-chairmanship of Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin and Minister for Environment, Minister for Jerusalem and Heritage of the State of Israel Zeev Elkin.
During the meeting, the sides discussed and agreed upon topics of mutual interest, particularly in the area of trade and investment, agriculture and water management, energy and communications, standardization and tourism.
The agreement was reached with the higher Israeli leadership at the political level regarding readiness to sign the free trade deal between Ukraine and Israel, on which the negotiations have been going on for almost six years, according to MFA Ukraine.
Read alsoUkraine, Israel technically initial free trade deal
Ukrainian foreign minister met with Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu. The parties discussed a wide range of issues of bilateral cooperation, first of all, an upcoming visit of the Prime Minister of Israel to Ukraine.
Pavlo Klimkin also had a meeting with the Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III, where the subject of the creation of the Autocephalous Orthodox Ukrainian Church was discussed.
As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukraine and Israel on March 28 completed negotiations on the creation of a free trade area (FTA). On April 26, the sides technically initialed the FTA deal, which is expected to be signed and ratified by the parliaments of both countries.
On May 30, Verkhovna Rada Speaker Andriy Parubiy said he expected Ukraine and Israel to ratify the FTA agreement in the coming weeks following the completion of technical work.
Ukrainian exports to Israel in 2017 increased by 19% to US$781 million. Ukraine supplied products worth $179 million to Israel in the first quarter of 2018.