Yuschenko is going to Central Asia to challenge Russia
President of Ukraine Victor Yuschenko begins his brief tour of Central Asian countries on March 5. In Tajikistan, the Ukrainians hope to elbow Russia out (Russian deliverers of hardware for hydroelectric power plants and Rosoboronexport). In Kazakhstan, they will pester Astana for the oil they need for the Odessa-Brody-Plotsk pipeline. The whole idea is to do something about energy dependance on Russia that has been increasing despite everything Kiev tries.
Russian-Ukrainian competition in the CIS markets is getting fiercer, a factor that only lends gravity to gas conflicts between Kiev and Moscow. Concentration of defense and mechanical engineering enterprises in Ukraine is higher than in Russia, but the markets are no better than Russia's - despite the eagerness to join NATO and membership in the World Trade Organization. Experts warn that reduction of the gas export to Ukraine will have a thoroughly negative effect on Ukrainian industry and its competitive capacities. Will Ukraine's rivals in Russia make use of it? It is for entirely different reasons that Rosoboronexport has been losing customers.
RBK Daily, March 5, 2008, p. 5. © Translated by Ferghana.Ru