Ukraine celebrates 100 years of diplomatic Service

ISLAMABAD: Ukraine is making significant contributions for promoting education in Pakistan by forging education cooperation between universities, schools and other institutions for teacher training, joint research activities at higher education level, Ukrainian ambassador to Pakistan, Volodymyr Lakomov said here Wednesday.

Speaking to the select group of journalists while celebrating 100 years of its diplomatic Service (1917-2017) at embassy premises, he said some Ukrainian universities had signed agreements with the Public and private Universities and schools in Pakistan for the promotion of education in Pakistan. Ukraine offered high quality general and professional education, he added.

Highlighted that Russian post-imperial chauvinism attacked Ukraine and three year long war has resulted in the deaths of 10,000 people, the occupation of 7% Ukrainian territory and seizure, destruction or theft of 20 % of the Ukrainian economy was a big challenge for his country.

However, he asserted that thousands of soldiers stand in Eastern Ukraine like a solid wall against Russia and, “ we need to unite in order to win the modern Russia hybrid war against us”.

Talking about Pak-Ukraine relations, he said that Pakistan was among good friends. The bilateral dialogues between both countries have always been friendly and sincere, based upon mutually beneficial cooperation. The high level of mutual understanding and trust between the two countries in political and diplomatic spheres had been reached, he added.

In the past 25 years, military-technical collaboration remained one of the main pillars of strength between the two countries; he said adding that the first Pak-Ukraine contract concluded in a military-technical sphere in 1996. This included multimillion-dollar tank contract which provided Pakistan with modern tanks, and Ukrainian enterprises with perspective long-term orders.

He said the two countries had taken interest in each other’s market and stressed their readiness to explore the huge untapped potential for economic cooperation. There is a growing economic interaction between the business communities of the two countries. The volume of trade in the year 2017 was almost $200 millions that would be raised to one billion dollars in two years, he added.

Volodymyr Lakomov said the cultural heritage of Ukraine and Pakistan was a good background for cooperation as ancient civilization of Indus valley in Pakistan and Trypillia in Ukraine were one of the first great civilizations in the world.

Hence there was a substantive background for interaction between scholars, joint research and exhibition projects, he added.

Responding to a question, he said the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko recently admitted that Ukrainian diplomats “fulfill an extremely important function in the history of our state”. While celebrating here in Pakistan, he said the centenary of the Ukrainian diplomatic service, he had noticed in the past 25 years had proved that diplomacy played a crucial role in mutually beneficial and pragmatic cooperation which is the best for countries to get along with each other.