Chelyabinsk Region has made an important step on the way to strengthening its economic ties with Ukraine, region’s Governor Mikhail Yurevitch declared after a reciprocal visit of Ural Federal District’s officials (headed by Plenipotentiary Representative of Russian Federation President in Ural Federal District Nikolai Vinnichenko) to Zaporozhye Region.

The Governor’s press service reports that negotiations held by Chelyabinsk and Zaporozhye Regions resulted in a signed protocol of intentions which ensures a series of projects in 2011-2012. The projects will all be related to the two parties’ agreement on trade, economic, scientific, technological, cultural, industrial, agricultural, logistics, and healthcare cooperation.

Remarkably enough, Chelyabinsk Region is Ural Federal District’s only territory to have signed such a document with Ukraine. According to Governor of Zaporozhye Boris Petrov, his region’s cooperation with the South Urals might set an example for the other regions as well.

In September 2010, Mikhail Yurevitch took part in the 1st Ural Forum on Russian-Ukrainian Cooperation in Yekaterinburg. Russia was represented by Russia’s Minister for Regional Development Viktor Basargin, Plenipotentiary Representative of Russian Federation President in Ural Federal District Nikolai Vinnichenko, President of the Russian Union of Industrialists & Entrepreneurs Alexander Shokhin, governors of Ural Federal District’s regions, and the most important representatives of the industrial and business communities.

Chelyabinsk Region’s reciprocal-visit delegation was headed by Deputy Governor Yuri Klepov, who observed that some joint ventures had already been set up in Zaporozhye. For one, a bulldozer-making plant that uses OOO ChTZ-Uraltrac’s components is already operating there, and some other projects are currently being considered.

After Yuri Klepov presented a report on the results of the officials’ visit to Ukraine, Mikhail Yurevitch said this looked like a ‘big and confident move’ towards creating great economic ties between Chelyabinsk Region and Zaporozhye.

‘Presidents of Russia and Ukraine created a rather favorable environment for the two countries’ coming closer. This will both restore our broken economic ties and build up on the trade turnover; this also introduces potential for new joint projects. This won’t happen overnight, it will take a lot of serious work, but this work is already in progress,’ the Governor pointed out.

Under the two territories’ agreement, a bilateral work team will be set up before December 1, 2010 to design an action plan for the next two years. The plan is then to be approved by Russia and Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Ministries.

Ukraine is currently Chelyabinsk Region’s third largest trade partner, with export figures coming to $700m. Next year, the figures are expected to increase and reach $1bn, the result equal to that for the year 2008.