Georgia, Ukraine Agree to Boost Economic Ties

Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli and Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko signed a draft protocol on economic cooperation in Kiev on February 28.
 
?This is a very serious document, which demonstrates a new stage of cooperation between our countries,? Yulia Timoshenko said at a joint news briefing after the talks with Zurab Nogaideli.

?It is very important that we could agree over this broad-range of issues in a very small period of time – this means that we have absolute mutual understanding,? Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli said.

The Ukrainian Prime Minister said that one of the key provisions of the protocol envisages the restoration of a ferry service between Ukrainian port of Odessa and Georgian ports of Poti and Batumi.

However, these issues will finalized during a visit by Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili to Ukraine scheduled for mid-March.
 
The Georgian Prime Minister expressed hope that the economic ties between the two countries ?will develop dynamically? and called on Ukrainian businessmen to invest in Georgia. 
 
During his first foreign visit in the capacity of Prime Minister, Zurab Nogaideli also met with Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko and other officials.