OREANDA-NEWS. On October 01, 2008 The Forum was marked with speeches by King of Sweden Carl XVI Gustaf, President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko, Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Hryhoriy Nemyria, co-head of the Council of Investors within the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Serhii Tyhypko and others.

Economics Minister of Ukraine Bohdan Danylyshyn, on behalf of the Government and on his behalf, hailed all the attendants and expressed his deep gratitude to the organizers of Ukrainian-Swedish Business Forum.

The chairman of the economic department of Ukraine said: “This first in the history of bilateral relations official visit of Their Majesties King and Queen of Sweden to Ukraine is very important for the development of our relations. Ukraine views Sweden as its fulcrum in the North European region. Ties with Sweden appear a crucial factor of Ukraine’s approaching to the European Union”.

Bohdan Danylyshyn stressed, he emphasizes regulatory and constructive dialog with representatives of the state and government structures of Sweden as well as with Swedish business which demonstrate a high interest in cooperation with Ukraine.

That’s why, according to the Minister, today’s event is a significant stage of the development of relations between business circles of Ukraine and Sweden, it will facilitate establishing and maintaining of mutually beneficial bipartite contacts.

“Ukraine highly appreciates the attention Sweden pays to the development of relations with our state. Even greater it is significant for us from the point of view of economic potential and practical experience possessed by Sweden. I am convinced of far-reaching prospects of our mutually-beneficial cooperation,” Bohdan Danylyshyn summed up.

It should be noted here, that trade and economic cooperation between Ukraine and the Kingdom of Sweden has been actively developing within recent years. On the results of 2007 the amount of bilateral trade with goods and services has increased 4.3fold as compared to 2000 and totaled 806.9 MN USD.

Over the first half-year of 2008 the trade turnover with goods and services between Ukraine and Sweden has amounted 477.75 MN USD, which is by 29% more from the amounts of trade with goods and services over the respective period of last year.

On 2007 outcomes Sweden ranks third among the countries capital investments of which into Ukraine’s economy have increased at most. Through 2007 investments flown from Sweden have upped by 869.3 MN USD and totaled 1006.6 MN USD. By July 1, 2008 Swedish investments into Ukraine’s economy had reached 1.247 bn USD, at the account of their increase in the area of financial activity by 140 MN USD and processing industry – by 70 MN USD, with the number of joint enterprises being 104.