France set to support Ukraine in insurance, exports, agricultural processing

MOSCOW. Nov 14 (Interfax) - Ukraine and France are in dialogue on the subject of economic rehabilitation, and specifically, on risk insurance, exports support and the development of agricultural processing.

This was the agenda of the meeting between Ukraine's First Deputy Prime Minister, Economy Minister Yulia Sviridenko and French Minister of Economy, Finance, and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty Bruno Le Maire, Ukrainian media reported citing the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine.

Le Maire has confirmed that France will support Ukraine regardless of any possible changes in the global geopolitical situation, the Ukrainian media said.

Sviridenko said, for her part, that military risk insurance would make it possible for French investors to enter Ukraine and join reconstruction projects.

France's state-run insurance company Bpifrance Assurance Export announced earlier that it would insure French companies set to invest in Ukraine, without waiting for the crisis to end. Several French businesses are already willing to obtain such guarantees in order to expand their operations in Ukraine. The two ministers also discussed the possibility of insuring those Ukrainian investors that set up joint ventures with French businesses, the Ukrainian Ministry of Economy said, according to the media.

"French companies are ready to localize their [production] facilities in Ukraine and make their hardware in our factories. I am convinced that this interest will only grow thanks to joint efforts," Ukrainian media quoted Sviridenko as saying.

It was also noted at the meeting between Sviridenko and Le Maire that French business circles are interested in investing in Ukraine's strategic sectors such as production and processing of agricultural products, renewable energy, gas production and storage, green metallurgy, environment-friendly transport, health care and pharmaceuticals, the media said.