Davos: Ukrainian President Meets With UN Secretary-General

KYIV, Ukraine, January 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych met with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The discussion featured food and nuclear security.

During the meeting President Yanukovych stressed that Ukraine continues its preparation for the scientific conference "Twenty-five years after the Chernobyl disaster. Security of the Future". "At the moment we are conducting negotiations with the donor countries," said the Ukrainian leader.

In view of the nuclear safety discussion, Viktor Yanukovych has informed of the recent agreements that had been reached during his official visit to Japan last week. He mentioned that both countries agreed on cooperation in the area of nuclear safety and rehabilitation of the victims of Chernobyl catastrophe. President Yanukovych stressed that it was time to actively restore the land affected by radiation and bring it back to life, emphasizing the importance of Japan's technological expertise on the issue. The UN Secretary General expressed his hope that International conference, dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Chernobyl catastrophe, "will greatly enhance understanding of the importance of nuclear safety." Ban Ki-moon said that he looks forward to his visit to Ukraine to participate in the Conference and discuss further Ukraine-UN partnership. He stated that cooperation between Ukraine and the UN is becoming more and more substantial.

The UN Secretary-General expressed his concern about the increase of the world food prices, mentioning that it leads to crisis in the number of countries. "We are looking for ways to overcome this crisis," said Ban Ki-moon.

Viktor Yanukovych and Ban Ki-moon discussed the possible cooperation between Ukraine and the UN with regards to overcoming the global food crisis. "Ukraine has appropriate agricultural capacities. Therefore, we are ready to support corresponding initiatives of the UN," commented President of Ukraine. He also highlighted the importance of Ukrainian cooperation with Japan on this issue. "We will combine Ukraine's efforts with investment and technological capabilities of Japan in order to boost the food production volume and increase its supply to the world market," said Yanukovych.

During his visit to Davos World Economic Forum on January 27-28, Ukrainian President also plans to meet with President of Azerbaijan Aliyev, President of Poland Komorowski, and EBRD President Mirow.