“THE RA GOVERNMENT KNOWS ITS BUSINESS”

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[04:20 pm] 04 May, 2006

Ukrainian Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Armenia
Alexander Bochco sent his condoling message to Armenians on behalf of
his country in connection with the “A – 320” aircraft crash and noted
that Armenia is not that large and every person felt the terrible pain.

The President of Ukraine also sent a condoling message to RF President
Vladimir Putin. Alexander Bochco mentioned that there was one Ukrainian
citizen among the victims, 20-year-old Inga Chkar. “Ukrainians mourn
and condole with Armenians in all their tragedies and disasters.”

The Ukrainian Ambassador stated the fact that certain political figures
want to use this tragedy for their interests with great sorrow and
grief. He avoided giving any evaluation and conclusion on the matter
and advised to wait till the specialists make public the main cause
of the crash.

Then he referred to the Armenian – Ukrainian relations, which, in
his words, develop constantly.

This mainly refers to commercial relations, which became more active
and was estimated to 110 million USD according to the data of the
previous year. This is a good result for Armenia. “The trade in January
and February twice outnumbered in comparison with last year data. The
trade of the two countries’ products has activated both in Armenian
and in Ukrainian markets.”

The Ambassador also mentioned that their views coincide with Armenians
in many issues, especially in connection with the EU membership. As
for the gas price increase, he urged that it was expected in both
countries but a bit later. In his words the sudden increase was a
real surprise for the Ukrainian Government.

“The current solution of the matter is not the best one, but if we take
into consideration that it was in winter and people needed heating,
we shall understand the logic of the increase. As for the 5th bloc of
the Hrazdan heat generating plant, I think the Armenian Government
knows its business and realizes the further serious consequences of
its deal,” said Alexander Bochco.