Merkel pledges support to Shmyhal amidst crisis
During the first talks between the Heads of Government of Ukraine and Germany, German Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged support amidst crisis and backing for the course of reforms to Ukrainian PM Denys Shmyhal.
Censor.NET reports citing Interfax.
"The Chancellor promised the Prime Minister to continue Germany's support for reforms, especially in the areas of decentralization, energy, judicial reform and the fight against corruption," reads the statement on the website of the German Federal Government.
In addition, Chancellor Merkel pledged to explore the possibility of supporting Ukraine in overcoming coronavirus crisis.
The parties exchanged views on close bilateral and economic relations between the countries, the reform process in Ukraine, and the security situation in eastern Ukraine.
The Chancellor and the Prime Minister also discussed measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic.
Shmyhal assured that the Government of Ukraine would continue the course of reforms in close cooperation with the EU and the IMF.
As noted, Germany is one of Ukraine's most important economic partners with bilateral trade reaching EUR 7.8 billion in 2019. About 2,000 German companies operate in Ukraine. Since 2014, Germany has allocated a total of about EUR 1.2 billion to Ukraine and became the largest bilateral donor of humanitarian aid in 2019.
