VZCZCXRO1491
OO RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHKV #0852 1011410
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 111410Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY KYIV
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1913
INFO RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 0002
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 0009

UNCLAS KYIV 000852 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
TREASURY FOR MGAERTNER 
MUMBAI FOR KLEIN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON PREL EFIN JA UP
SUBJECT: Ukraine: Plans for BSEC Chairmanship 
 
Ref: (A) Schutte-Ukraine Desk e-mail, April 13, 2007 
 
     (B) 2006 Kyiv 03490 
 
¶1. Summary: Ukraine envisions an ambitious agenda for its 
chairmanship of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization 
(BSEC) from November 2007 to April 2008, according to MFA Director 
for Economic Cooperation, Serhiy Korsunsky.  During a recent meeting 
with Econoff, he solicited U.S. involvement in setting and 
participating in this agenda.  He mentioned in particular his hope 
that the U.S. would take part in a regional bankers' forum that 
Ukreximbank was organizing. He thought that the Ukrainian delegation 
to the upcoming World Bank and IMF meetings would be raising the 
idea on the margins of the meetings. End Summary. 
 
¶2.  Korsunsky passed us a detailed five-page draft agenda for 
Ukraine's tenure as chairman (ref A), which, he said was meant to be 
"innovative, not business as usual."  For example, he said, it 
included a regional meeting of University rectors and another of 
business leaders in order to encourage cross-border links outside 
the government sphere.  He said Ukraine would welcome any U.S. 
suggestions for activities or initiatives to place on the agenda. 
He said he hoped the U.S. will play an active role in BSEC events in 
its role as an observer. 
 
¶3.  Ukraine was also inviting Japan to participate as an observer in 
BSEC, he said.  This had been discussed in a meeting at which the 
Japanese introduced their recently launched concept of an "Arc of 
Economic Prosperity and Democracy" stretching from Japan to the 
Baltics, explicitly included GUAM, while passing south of Russia and 
China. 
 
¶4.  Korsunsky said that he was particularly hopeful that the U.S. 
would help with an as yet unscheduled meeting of regional bankers 
that state-owned Ukreximbank would be putting together.  Ukraine was 
seeking U.S. advice on whom to invite, the topics of the meeting, 
and any initiatives the U.S. felt it would be appropriate to launch 
in this context.  He said he believed that members of the Ukraine 
delegation to the April 14-15 World Bank and IMF meetings in 
Washington may raise this idea on the margins. 
 
¶5.  Asked about the National Bank of Ukraine's proposal for GUAM to 
create its own development bank (ref B), Korsunsky responded that 
nothing had come of it.  He pointed out that the BSEC draft agenda 
included a session on how to make use of the existing Black Sea 
Trade and Development Bank. 
 
TAYLOR