President begins Ukraine tour
President Rajapaksa begins his official tour of Ukraine. He becomes the first Sri Lankan Head of State to visit that country.
The President has undertaken this three-day official tour at the invitation of his Ukrainian counterpart Victor Yanukovych. The President left the island this morning. He will have talks with the President, the Prime Minister and several high level representatives. Several agreements important to both countries are due to be inked during his visit. These will relate to tourism, shipping, transport and defence. A Ukrainian business gathering has also been summoned in parallel to President Rajapaksa’s tour.
Since gaining independence, Ukraine has maintained close bilateral ties with Sri Lanka. Analysts are optimistic that the President’s tour will pave the way for a new trend in these ties. Ukraine has achieved broad development in the scientific, agricultural and industrial sectors. It is a fast developing country. It is located in a significant position geographical wise, between Asia and Europe. It is the second largest country in Eastern Europe. Ukraine is considered as a leading oil and natural gas exporting country. Based on the classification of the World Tourism Organisation, Ukraine is ranked eighth among the World tourist viewing centres.