LE BOURGET. June 14 (Interfax-AVN) - Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko said Ukraine is willing to cooperate with Russia in aircraft building.
"Russian-Ukrainian cooperation has good future prospects, and the government of Ukraine will be a guarantor of this," Tymoshenko told a news conference in Le Bourget Monday when asked of the joint development of Antonov An-148 aircraft with Russia.
"If we start breaking cooperative ties, it will be really stupid," she said.
"We highly praise cooperation with Russia in aircraft building. It would be unwise to destroy the things that had been created in long years of cooperation. I will never let this happen," she said after visiting the Russian and Ukrainian expositions.
Commenting on Tymoshenko's visit to Le Bourget, Vyacheslav Boguslayev, Director General of the Motor Sich engine building company, told Interfax-Military News Agency that it is the first time that the Ukrainian prime minister visits the national section during an international exhibition.
"Prime Minister Tymoshenko's statements showed clearly that it is necessary to retain the existing cooperative relations at all costs," he stressed.
According to Boguslayev, Tymoshenko emphasized that Ukrainian government is ready to sign more large-scale contracts, including joint ventures. "Our prime minister made it clear that she is going to support high technologies and develop cooperation with Russia," he added.
Tymoshenko authorized her subordinates to prepare drafts of joint programs, including the ones concerning the Antonov An-124 Ruslan project, the An-148 promotion in the market, the An-70 aircraft development and some other initiatives, for them to be discussed with Russia during the MAKS 2005 international air show to be held in Moscow in August this year. "With these papers signed, the operation and maintenance of Ukrainian aircraft in both Russia and Ukraine will be most convenient, as well as their joint promotion in the market," Boguslayev said.