Q&A > Volodymyr Khandogiy - Ukraine's Ambassador to the UK
| February 2nd, 2012
With a political career spanning 25 years and encompassing roles such as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the National Commission of Ukraine for UNESCO, Volodymyr Khandogiy, Ambassador of Ukraine to the United Kingdom since July 2010, is now setting his sights on boosting business, political and cultural links with the UK.
The upcoming Euro 2012 championship, which Ukraine will host along with Poland, will raise the country’s profile among football-mad Brits. However, Ukraine’s image abroad has recently been damaged by negative publicity surrounding the trial of Yulia Tymoshenko for abuse of office, concerning a gas deal signed with Russia.
Today, Khandogiy is looking firmly towards the future, with plans to deepen bilateral relations with the UK through the worlds of art, literature and culture, while further cementing business and political ties.
The Report Company: Can you give us an overview of the most significant achievements at the UK embassy?
Volodymyr Khandogiy: We have exemplary relations with the UK, both in political and economic ties, cultural exchanges, and consular affairs. But certainly we have to intensify our political dialogue at the highest level. We have not had many high-level visits, and a visit by the Prime Minister or President to each other’s country is an important occasion that boosts the development of further relations.
TRC: Have you noticed a difference in relations since Cameron and the Conservative Party came to power?
VK: Since the coalition came to power, we have not had a visit, but that is one of the objectives we hope to realise this year. Economically, we enjoy very good relations. The UK is one of Ukraine’s biggest trading partners and one of the biggest investors in our economy, but of course there is room for improvement. We also need to intensify cultural exchanges, because expanding and developing cultural ties is a very important instrument to improve overall relations.
TRC: How are you going to use the momentum of your 20th anniversary to intensify relations?
VK: We want to organise several exchanges, art exhibitions and concerts here in London. This year will be difficult because the Olympic Games will draw attention away, but this also opens up some new prospects for collaboration. The Euro 2012 in Ukraine presents an opportunity for British cultural figures to visit Ukraine. Although we have a pretty good level of cultural relations, it can still be improved. This embassy is now trying very hard to translate these intentions into concrete steps.
We are discussing a visit to London by a very famous Ukrainian writer, Andriy Kurkov, one of the top writers in Europe whose novels have been translated in 36 languages. We are now discussing dates to organise the exhibition of a peculiar, but very young and talented Ukrainian artist and his lino cutting technique on linoleum of London bridges. Last year we organised the exhibition of unique egg painting art from Ukraine. Her Majesty even accepted one of those pieces of art as a gift when I presented my credentials as ambassador.
We also have a lot to do in the area of people exchange. We still have a visa regime with the UK, while UK citizens do not need a visa to visit Ukraine. Although we have advanced very far with the EU and Schengen countries in terms of visa facilitation, the situation with the UK remains just as it was many years ago. We have to work hard to convince the UK to come closer to the visa regime Ukraine enjoys with other European countries.
TRC: How do you work as a representative of the embassy to manage perceptions of Ukraine?
VK: In general the perception is positive, but you need to turn from perception to recognition and appreciation, because perception is a bit too vague.
TRC: What is the position concerning Ukraine’s accession to the EU, and the role of the UK in pushing for this accession?
VK: The UK has always been a supporter of our European ambitions, which we appreciate. The UK was instrumental in the recent negotiations of the Association Agreement, and Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) during the Ukraine-EU Summit in Kiev when both President Barroso and President Rompuy met with President Yanukovich. We have finalised and reached consensus on each and every clause and position. Then the agreement will be signed and ratified, placing Ukraine in a unique position as a ‘defacto member’ of the EU. The depth of the political and economic parts of the agreement is such that those rights and commitments belong to member states.
TRC: How can Ukraine capitalise on its role as an intermediary between Russia and the EU, and particularly the UK? Geopolitically, how is Ukraine positioning itself as a bridge to the East?
VK: I always disliked the ‘bridge’ comparison because a bridge can be destroyed. The strategic position of Ukraine is as equally important to both the West and to Russia. We have always had this image of a country balanced between Western Europe and Russia, but we would like to be taken at face value. Our major priority is EU integration while having good relations with Russia. It would be a mistake to look at those things from an “either-or” perspective. I am sure that we will all – Ukraine, the EU, and Russia – be able to come to terms and relations that respond to our best national interests. Ukraine is the fifth-highest trading partner of Russia with roughly $50 billion US dollars in trade. UK-Ukraine trade is roughly $3.5 billion. We have to be very cautious given our relationship with Russia, but the strategic choice is the EU.
TRC: One of the issues that negatively affected the image of Ukraine was Yulia Tymoshenko. What is the government’s position on this issue?
VK: It is a very delicate, complicated issue that requires a substantial explanation. First, you have to understand that this particular issue began many years ago. It is not that this government came to power, won elections, and decided to prosecute Yulia Tymoshenko. The actual decision to open a criminal case against Tymoshenko was adopted by the National Security and Defence Council back in 2009 when President Yushchenko was in office. Since then the Procurator General and legal authorities were investigating the case and after a year, they concluded that she had to be put on trial. The trial was opened in spring of 2011, and then the judge, on the grounds of contempt of court, made a decision to put her in jail. For better or for worse, this is the judicial system in Ukraine. We all have to wait and see how it goes, but it is very open and transparent.
There are proposals challenging this notorious article in the criminal court under which Tymoshenko is now in jail, as if it does not respond to EU standards. We are ready to change this article, but this is up to the Parliament. The Tymoshenko faction is one of the more important, sizeable factions in our Parliament, but they need to find consensus with the majority faction. The President is ready to accept any law that changes this article, so long as it is adopted by Parliament. This is a very complicated legal and political situation, but it is in the hands of the judiciary. The President is not in a position to interfere. You cannot change any article in any penal code just for one person.
But it is important not to link this to, or hold hostage, our ambition to be a member of the EU. Tymoshenko herself appealed to the European Commission not to make her case an impediment or reason for not going ahead with the EU integration of Ukraine, which is in the interests of both sides. There are initial sacrifices in terms of opening up our markets, but we consciously accept that, and the EU will gain access to a huge market of 46 million people. We are in the midst of reforming Ukraine’s judicial system – it has already been partially reformed and we are continuing this process.
TRC: The UK is a key trade partner and foreign investor in Ukraine. What areas would you identify as key opportunities to increase trade and investment relations?
VK: Our trade agenda is pretty multifaceted. I think that agriculture is one of the most attractive areas for increasing trade, and metal is another of our major exports. More sophisticated areas like machines and banking systems can also be improved. In energy, we have just signed a memorandum of understanding with Shell to explore Ukraine’s shale gas potential. It might become a huge contract in the future as Ukraine possesses big potential in shale gas, a very interesting commodity.
TRC: You have been very active promoting ‘terra incognita’ to enhance the brand and excite people from the UK market to investigate Ukraine as a tourism destination.
VK: In Ukraine, we have a project called ‘terra cognita’, as we have tremendous potential in tourism. We are witnessing quite an increase in the number of tourists coming to Ukraine from the West. Not necessarily UK citizens, but French, Germans, Russians and many others. Mother Nature was kind to us – we have two seas, mountains, and opportunities for green tourism that has become popular in recent years. We also have plenty of unique historic sites and monuments of the past. In many aspects, our tourist facilities are already on a very high level. Take a look, for example, at the ultramodern Bukovel Ski Resort in western Ukraine or visit the Crimea peninsula. Of course, a lot still has to be done, but what we need most now is a big promotional campaign. In 2011 you could already see videos of Ukraine on the world’s biggest television channels, but the Euro 2012 will surely provide a very important and positive boost in that respect.
TRC: This event will help in terms of tourism branding and upgrading key infrastructure to transform Ukraine into a tourism destination.
VK: In course of the preparation for Euro 2012, we have modernized the airports of four hosting cities, and built dozens of new hotels and hundreds of kilometres of highways. Modern high-speed trains will start commuting between the major cities this spring, and hundreds of tourist attractions are being renovated. Without a doubt, the European football championship holds great meaning for positive changes in my country, and I am quite convinced that the hundreds of thousands of tourists will be amazed by what they see in Ukraine. Ukraine is also considering placing a bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics to be held in the Carpathian Mountains, so the aforementioned achievements are also an important investment for our possible Olympic bid.
Alternative flash content
To view this Flash you need Javascript on your browser and updated version of flash player.
