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Ukraine to boost cooperation with Australia

Petro Poroshenko discussed possible Australian supplies of uranium and coal to Ukraine with Tony Abbott
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko  AP Photo/Rick Rycroft
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko
© AP Photo/Rick Rycroft

SYDNEY, December 12. /TASS/. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko intends to promote development of political and economic cooperation with Australia.

“I intend to remove all barriers between Ukraine and Australia,” he said in Sydney on Friday, when speaking at the Lowy Institute for International Policy.

Poroshenko had talks with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott in Melbourne and visited Canberra and Sydney. He said an agreement was reached that Abbot would visit Kiev in the first quarter of next year.

The Ukrainian president thanked the Australian government for the decision to open the embassy in Kiev. It will be opened in January 2015.

Poroshenko said about the plans to develop cooperation in agriculture and energy. Possible Australian supplies of uranium and coal to Ukraine were discussed, he said, adding it was only the initial stage of talks, but Australia’s position was encouraging.

Speaking at the Lowy Institute, Poroshenko said the ceasefire in Ukraine was fully observed for 24 hours for the first time in the past seven months, adding he hoped it would be the first step to peace and stability.