Poland setting up council for cooperation with Ukraine

MOSCOW. April 15 (Interfax) - The Polish government is setting up a council for cooperation with Ukraine to include academicians, businessmen, officials and local self-government members, the future council's chair, head of the Polish Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs Pawel Kowal said.

"The prime minister has signed the order to establish the council for cooperation with Ukraine and has appointed me as its chair. That would be a civil body involving academicians, businessmen, officials, and local self-government members. The council will be staffed in the coming weeks," Ukrainian media quoted Kowal as telling the Polish media outlet pap.pl in an interview.

The council will have an office and working groups, which will be formed shortly and have their duties defined, Kowal said. There will be a council secretariat to run under the supervision of the Polish prime minister's office.

The council will be working on Poland's participation in the restoration of Ukraine together with Polish analytical centers, such as the Polish Economic Institute and the Center for Eastern Studies.

According to Kowal, the council will take a comprehensive approach to Polish-Ukrainian relations.

A council branch opened in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship on Saturday to address transborder cooperation with Ukraine, pap.pl said.