OREANDA-NEWS. January 22, 2016. Ukraine will require the long-term and harmonised support of its friends, and we have to remain patient in encouraging the course of reforms that take place there, said President Toomas Hendrik Ilves at the World Economic Forum in Davos, during a discussion dedicated to the economic future of Ukraine.

President Ilves described as important the steps taken by Ukraine over the last year and a half in the spheres of energy, defence and finance. He also emphasised that the country still has a long way to go in converting hopeful signs into a long-term success story.

The Minsk agreements haven't been honoured and military activities are continuing in East Ukraine; approximately 400 km of the border of the country is not controlled by the Government of Ukraine; there are more than a million and a half domestic refugees in the country; and Crimea has been annexed – against such a hectic backdrop, the fact that the abrupt decline of the Ukrainian economy is coming to a halt may go unnoticed, stated the Estonian Head of State.

In light of this, it is highly important to maintain the long-term and harmonised support of both the economic and foreign policy environment of Ukraine among all the friends of Ukraine.

President Ilves was asked to participate in the discussion on Ukraine in order to relay Estonia's reform experiences and the use of IT solutions for governance purposes.

The Minister of Economic Affairs of Ukraine, Aivaras Abromavicius, Minister of Finance of Ukraine, Natalia Ann Jaresko, and the Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, Johannes Hahn, also took part in the discussion in Davos.