Editor’s Note: The following are excerpts from an interview with Khalid Arikat, ambassador of Palestine in Ukraine.
KP: What are the economic ties between Ukraine and Palestine?
KA: I’m content with the trade turnover between our countries. We export from Ukraine flour, grain, metal, timber, and sunflower oil. Palestine brings here fruit, vegetables, hand-made leather goods and religious souvenirs. The numbers are hard to count because Palestine is under Israel’s occupation.
KP: Who are the Palestinians who come to Ukraine?
KA: More than 2,000 students of Palestinian origin study in the Ukrainian universities. Those who return with Ukrainian diplomas usually take good posts in the government and in the private sector. For example, our counsel to the prime minister, Dzavad Alnagi, received his Ph.D. in Ukraine. Palestinian ambassador to Belarus is a graduate of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Around 500 Palestinians received Ukrainian citizenship. They are mostly involved in import-export businesses.
KP: Who are Ukrainians in Palestine?
KA: Ukrainians in Palestine are the wives and children of the Palestinians who came to Ukraine to study or work, got married and moved their families back home. In the Gaza Strip, Jerusalem and the West Bank we have around 500 Ukrainians.
KP: How do you see the role of Ukraine in solving Israel-Palestine conflict?
KA: Ukraine plays an important role as a part of the international community that votes for the peace resolutions by the United Nations General Assembly.
KP: What is the state of negotiations between Palestine and Israel?
KA: We have indirect negotiations mediated by the United States. As soon as there is progress, we should start direct negotiations. But before this happens, we need to establish some common grounds with Israel. Israel should fulfill its commitments – give Palestinians the opportunity to create its own state, free Palestine from occupation, and stop developing the settlements on our territories. We hope for progress in the negotiations.
Kyiv Post staff writer Kateryna Grushchenko can be reached at [email protected] .
