One of Ukraine’s largest business associations British Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce, or BUCC, will hold Ukrainian Week in London through the second week of October to promote business ties between the two countries.
BUCC has partnered with the Council of British Chambers of Commerce in Europe (COBCOE) to arrange the event.
From Oct. 8–14, a number of different venues in central London will host seminars, talks, dinners and presentations that will focus on improving British-Ukrainian relations.
The week-long series of events and talks comes at an important time for both countries who are reportedly ready to start negotiating a post-Brexit free trade agreement.
The United Kingdom has also just reaffirmed and strengthened their defense commitments to Ukraine with extra military personnel and resources soon being sent to Kyiv. A number of different venues in London plan to host event, including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s London headquarters and the Savoy Hotel.
The events will focus on bilateral interests for the two countries, specifically security, trade and business, tourism, art and culture. The BUCC has a full itinerary of events available on their website and are now accepting advance reservations for attendees,
One of the week’s priorities will be attempting to address any outdated and misinformed ideas that exist around Ukraine in the minds of British businesspeople and influencers, organizers have said.
“Ukrainian Week is intended to spur much greater interest by U.K. and other Western banks, investment funds and companies in Ukraine, and to encourage them to finance business in, and trade with, Ukraine, by providing an informed picture,” said Bate C. Toms, a Kyiv-based lawyer and BUCC president.
Some London attendees will be Brexit optimists and keen on looking outwards for new opportunities after the U.K. leaves the European trade bloc.
They won’t be disappointed, according to organizers. “There will also be a discussion on how after Brexit, the U.K., as one of the world’s largest net importers of food, can significantly enhance its prosperity and food security through new trade relations with Ukraine,” Toms said.
As well as the BUCC and COBCOE, the event is co-organized by the National Investment Council of Ukraine, the Atlantic Council, the Royal United Services Institute and the EBRD.
A number of leading Ukrainian companies are expected to attend the events and the top financial backer for the event is the Lviv-based Softserve IT company and billionaire Ukrainian industrialist Yuriy Kosyuk, founder of MHP agro-industrial holding.
