KIEV, January 24, /ITAR-TASS/. Mass protests have affected Ukraine’s investment climate, distracting many investors from cooperation with Ukraine, Anatoly Kinakh, the deputy head of the Party of Regions parliamentary faction and president of the Ukrainian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, said in an exclusive interview with Itar-Tass.
He explained that many entrepreneurs who had infrastructure projects in mind would like to start investing in them and even implement those projects in Ukraine.
“They are German, Lithuanian and some other investors,” the Ukrainian politician said.
“Unfortunately today we have to deal with a negative factor: some investors have lost trust in Ukraine as in a reliable and predictable partner because of sharp worsening of political situation,” Kinakh said.
Kinakh described the absence of investments as one of the main threats to the state. “There can be no development without investments,” the Ukrainian politician emphasized.
“Like never before, we need to reach a new level of understanding and put the course of events into a peaceful and democratic stream way to find the way out of the crisis on the basis of national dialogue and joint efforts to change the quality of a system, including a dialogue between the state and society,” the deputy said.
Commenting on President Yanukovich’s initiative to hold an extraordinary session of Verkhovnaya Rada (parliament) to consider a political settlement to the crisis, Kinakh said that the session would succeed only if the parties in conflict reached a consensus.
“I am constantly reminding our political opposition that Verkhovnaya Rada is a unique floor for discussion. Instead of stupidly blocking all decisions, it is necessary to lead a discussion and express suggestions,” Kinakh emphasized.
The agenda of the parliament’s extraordinary session scheduled for January 28 is yet to be approved.