Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has called on Canadian companies to participate in the development and production of oil and gas in Ukraine.
"We are very seriously working on attracting foreign investment, in particular in the development and production of oil and gas. I know that Canada has quite reputable companies that specialize in these areas. And we welcome the work of Canadian companies in our country in the development of our field," the prime minister said at a meeting Canada’s International Cooperation Minister Beverley Oda, the Cabinet’s press service reported.
According to Azarov, Ukraine buys Russian natural gas at the highest price in Europe. "This means that our companies, especially metallurgical enterprises, are not competitive compared with similar companies worldwide. Therefore, domestic gas production, alternative sources of gas supplies is a fundamentally important issue for us. We currently need serious help and assistance in this matter," the premier said.
In turn, Oda said that Canada is involved in assisting in mineral industries.
"Canadian companies operating in mineral industries are among the leading companies in the world," she said adding that they were working with other countries in this area.
According to Oda, Canada has decided recently to establish the Canadian national institute for the mining industry.
"I am confident that Canada could provide assistance in such areas as strategy development, regulation, regulatory issues and the implementation of these rules into practice in the mining and oil and gas sector," she said.
