Agência Brasil
Brasília – On Thursday (18) and Friday (19), Brazilian and Ukranian government and company representatives met in Brasília to discuss a project of cooperation in the energy field. The idea is to create a private company, with capital from public and private sources, to produce gas-driven turbines for thermoelectric generating plants. The value of the deal has not been revealed yet.
"We are in the initial stage of negotiations, evaluating the legislation and guidelines for a partnership," affirmed the Ukranian Minister of Industrial Policy, Oleksander Neustroyev. According to Neustroyev, annual trade between Brazil and Ukrania currently amounts to US$ 530 million. The chief Brazilian products imported by Ukrania are coffee and tobacco. In the near future the ex-Soviet republic plans to expand its imports of soybeans and chicken.
During the meeting at the Itamaraty Palace (seat of the Ministry of Foreign Relations), the Ukranians indicated the possibility of selling cargo planes for agricultural and military purposes. In April the Prime-Minister of Ukrania, Victor Yanakovitch, is expected to visit Brazil. Among the topics on the agenda is the use of the Alcântara Base for the launching of the Cyclone 4 missile in 2006.
