Pak-Ukraine Sports,culture Contacts Provides Excellent Opportunities

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 31st Jan, 2017 ) : Sports and cultural contacts are the best way and provide excellent opportunities to the people of Pakistan and Ukraine to better know each other.

Talking to APP here on Tuesday, the Ambassador of Ukraine in Pakistan Volodymyr Lakomov, he said that Ukraine and Pakistan in process of negotiating the draft agreement of cooperation in the humanitarian areas and cultural exchanges.

Hopefully the agreement would be finalised this year and both countries are going to more strong relationship with each other, he said. To a question he said that "We are happy that our athletes were quite successful in important international alpine ski completion in Malam Jabba.

Beside strengthening contacts between professional athletes, we hope that this event would open new Pakistani resorts for amateur skiers and tourists from Ukraine and other countries". He said "In my opinion, northern areas of Pakistan possess great recreational potential and could provide skiers from all over the world unique chance to enjoy marvelous new skiing environment for a pleasure and best sports' achievements".

To a question the envoy said that Ukraine has made more Progress in tackling corruption and reforming government institutions in the last two and a half years since the Revolution of Dignity than it did in the previous 23 years since Independence was declared in 1991.

The challenge for Ukraine has probably been greater than for any other country. It is building a modern functioning democratic nation from a starting point of being the most embedded state in the former and now defunct Soviet Union.

And in the last two and a half years when it has made most progress it has had to fight a war with Russia and its proxies in the east while at the same time losing the Crimea to illegal annexation.

This progress would not have been possible without the support of Ukraine's partners, in particular in North America and Europe as well as the hard work and sacrifice of the Ukrainian people and Civil Society at home.

The people of Ukraine in partnership with their government have made a clear decision to be part of a forward looking democratic Europe. In so doing they have embraced the values of the people of Europe and moved away from those of the Russian federation.

Ukraine embraces European ideals and values because it is clear that so doing is the best way to ensure a future defined by freedom and a better quality of life, standard of living and ultimately prosperity for all of its people.

The Ukraine progress is leading to the country being an increasingly attractive investment prospect for foreign businesses and also an increasingly attractive place to visit for foreign tourists - tourism and economic investment being critical to the countries future prosperity.

To a question about the current situation of Ukraine he said "In fighting Russian aggression Ukraine is not only defending a way of life that is not only dear to Ukrainians but to all Europeans".

Ukraine is truly in the frontline of a Russian sponsored Hybrid War that threatens not only Ukraine but increasingly interferes with and seeks to undermine the democratic processes of other Western democracies, he added.

Ukraine is preparing amendments to its National Environmental Strategy until 2020 and a National Environmental Action Plan. Ukraine has, under difficult circumstances, fulfilled all 144 points of the visa Liberalization Plan and therefore fulfil the criteria for visa-free travel as determined by the EU.

The support of the international community has been crucial to the country making progress in many areas. Ukraine is seeking to follow the European standards on the rule of law, and free, democratic life.

Visa-free regime is important for the stability of Ukraine to ensure continued domestic support for its European course because the wider civil society movement has been and will remain absolutely central to the progress that Ukraine is making. More than 60 partner countries buy military equipment, produced by "UkrOboronProm" in 2016.