In recent times Ukraine-India relations have been officially raised to a comprehensive partnership level. In 2014-2015, due to various reasons, there was a pause in bilateral contacts at the highest levels. Today, both countries are geared up to reinvigorate bilateral activities. Jointly there’ve been visible achievements. H.E. Dr Igor Polikha, Ambassador of Ukraine to India, takes us through the recent developments as he responds to questions from Sayantan Chakravarty, Editor and Publisher, India Empire Publications
1. Ukraine and India enjoy warm and cordial relations over a long period of time. Please talk us through this…
It’s really so. Moreover their history started much before 1992 when two states established diplomatic relations. For example, boys and girls from India first time came to Ukraine to get higher education as far as in 1957. As a first year student I remember visit to Kyiv in 1982 of Mrs. Indira Gandhi and pompous official and cultural programme arranged in her honour.
We’ve got a lot of achievements in our relations since 1992: partnership and active interaction in various fields, warm and cordial contacts at people - to-people level. That’s why Ukrainian-Indian relations have been officially raised to comprehensive partnership relations.
2. Please let us know of the high-level bilateral visits that have taken place in the last two years…
Unfortunately during 2014-2015, due to various reasons we faced a long unprecedented pause in our bilateral contacts at the high level. Together with Indian officials we are trying to reinvigorate our bilateral activities. I am happy that jointly we’ve already got some visible achievements in this field.
3. Going forward, do you see a possibility of greater Indian investment in Ukraine?
Yes. We’ve already got some success stories. For example, one of major Ukrainian (and even European) metallurgical giants owned by Laxmi Narayan Mittal, joint ventures and factories set up in our country by Indian pharmacists. I hope that other areas may be also soon added to this success list.
4. Also, is Ukraine viewing India’s many Mission Mode programmes such as Make in India, Clean Ganga, Clean India, Smart Cities, Digital India with some degree of interest?
All these programmes are very ambitious, based on advanced ideas and concepts. We are viewing them attentively and hopeful that far-reaching goals envisaged in them will be successfully reached by our Indian friends. As to practical participation our first priority at this stage is Make in India.
5. This is your second stint as Ambassador to India. What are the changes you have witnessed in India since the last time?
There are many visible changes only within 5 years. Just a few of them:
- Massive infrastructural construction in the capital. I am really impressed with the unbelievable speed of Delhi metro extension. It seems that in the nearest future after successful completion of the ongoing projects on new lines the Delhi metro will join the top list of the most developed metro systems of the world;
- Striking progress in road network expansion (quantitavely and quantitatively) throughout the whole country. For example, expressway to Agra making the trip from Delhi absolutely comfortable and shortening it just to 2 hours instead of 5-6 previously. New roads or well repaired old ones in all neighboring states, in both urban and rural areas which are not even considered as tourist destinations;
- The Indians are getting more and more confident and setting new and new ambitious goals. During my first stint, in 2009 (if I am not mistaken) the volume of Indian GDP reached 1 trln. USD. Those days it was a really historic event celebrated at par with national holidays. In 2015 2 trln. mark of GDP went mostly unnoticed by wide public. Basing on the above trend the goal of 3 trln. USD after several years may become an event only for some specialists on macro economy and statistics.
6. What are the major export commodities from Ukraine to India, and what are the major import commodities of Ukraine from India?
Major export commodities from Ukraine to India are: fats and oils of vegetable origin; ferrous metallurgy; nuclear reactors, boilers and machinery; fertilizers; inorganic chemistry and from India to my country: pharmaceutical products; organic chemicals; plastics and polymers; ferrous metals and articles thereof; tobacco and manufactured tobacco substitutes. Of course, I cannot call this structure optimal. It needs both diversification and considerable increase of highly technological goods. It’s our common task for the nearest perspective.
7. Ukraine and India are working on bilateral issues through various Joint Working Groups. Can you please elaborate on these?
Ukraine and India held meetings of three Joint working groups just this year – on cooperation in pharmaceuticals, trade and economic relations and space interaction. You can see that these Groups encompass rather wide spectre of issues. We are also working on feasibility of setting new standing bilateral groups in several areas.
8. Please let us know about cultural and humanitarian cooperation between Ukraine and India…
The major element of bilateral cultural and humanitarian cooperation is education. According to our statistics, now 6145 Indian youth are studying in Ukrainian universities and institutes (basically medical). I hope that this figure will be increasing further on. At the same time other areas should not be neglected also. We are working on some future cultural events, like exhibitions, concert programmes, performance of dancing groups to celebrate properly three landmark events: 25th anniversary of Independent Ukraine, 70 years of Independent India, 25th anniversary of Ukrainian-Indian diplomatic relations.
9. Similarly, please throw some light on the scientific and technical cooperation between the two countries…
It’s a promising area. We’ve got proper intergovernmental legal base for scientific and technical cooperation, the working coordination mechanism –bilateral Committee on Science and Technology. It already held 6 joint sessions and approved dozens of joint projects in a wide variety of areas, including biology, medicine, space, nano- and agrarian technologies, energy, machine building etc. Our immediate tasks are: to activate the work of the above committee as well as the existing contacts between scientific institutions of two countries with the aim of their further expansion.
10. Are we expecting any high level visits in the near future?
We are most hopeful of arranging in the nearest future of the Ukrainian Foreign Minister’s visit and the session of the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical, Industrial and Cultural Cooperation in Kyiv.