Ukraine Set To Become Asean Sectoral Dialogue Partner, Eyes US$5 Bln Trade
By Noor Bakhtiar Ahmad
KYIV, Sept 22 (Bernama) -- Ukraine is set to become an ASEAN Sectoral Dialogue Partner this year, a status Kyiv says will pave the way for closer cooperation and help boost annual trade between Ukraine and ASEAN to US$5 billion.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said the status would unlock broader cooperation with ASEAN and be key to achieving Kyiv's trade target.
“We can expand our trade, and our goal would be an overall trade volume of US$5 billion per year with ASEAN,” he told Bernama when met here recently.
Ukraine-ASEAN merchandise trade stood at about US$2.75 billion in 2024, comprising US$1.12 billion in Ukrainian exports to ASEAN and US$1.63 billion in imports, according to the Ukraine-ASEAN Gateway, a digital platform promoting cooperation between Ukraine and Southeast Asia.
Beyond the trade ambitions, Kyiv is looking to bring some of its home-grown expertise to the relationship, particularly in digital government and agricultural technology.
Tykhyi said Ukraine had developed digital government services that could offer useful experience for ASEAN member states.
“For example, as a Ukrainian citizen, I have an application on my smartphone that holds all my documents and allows me to pay taxes, access any public service and start a business.
“I can do everything with my smartphone. We can share this, so there is a lot we can do with ASEAN in a mutually beneficial way,” he said.
Tykhyi said Ukraine could also contribute its expertise in agricultural technology as part of efforts to broaden cooperation with the regional bloc.
As part of that push, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha met ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn in February to explore closer cooperation in food security, energy and digitalisation, while discussing Ukraine’s bid for Sectoral Dialogue Partner status.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry Director for Asia and the Pacific Zhanna Leshchynska said Kyiv had sought closer sectoral engagement with ASEAN after acceding to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) in November 2022.
“That is why we requested ASEAN Sectoral Dialogue Partner status,” she said.
Leshchynska said the Ukrainian embassy in Indonesia was working with the Jakarta-based ASEAN Secretariat, while Kyiv continued to strengthen bilateral cooperation with individual member states.
She identified healthcare, information technology and agriculture as priority areas in which Ukraine could offer ASEAN its expertise and pursue closer cooperation with the regional grouping.
Leshchynska said Ukraine had also published a new Ukraine-ASEAN concept paper outlining its vision for developing a communication and information strategy with ASEAN countries.
She said Ukraine was continuing to expand its diplomatic engagement, having held political consultations with the Philippines this year while working on next steps with Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia.
--BERNAMA
