Ukraine deputy economy minister Taras Kachka during a media conference. – BERNAMApix
KUALA LUMPUR: Ukraine views Malaysia as a key entry point for expanding collaborations in the Asean region's unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and drone sectors, says Ukraine’s deputy economy minister, Taras Kachka.
Noting Malaysia’s strong digital economy, Kachka also said that the country is the most advanced in Asean regarding infrastructure, semiconductor spare parts supply and skilled manpower.
Kachka remarked that discussions on potential collaborations are ongoing between companies from both nations.
"The advancement of UAV in Ukraine is naturally connected to the defence and security, but (the UAV usage) was (also) strong for civil purposes such as agriculture.
"Now, the usage of UAVs in Ukraine is so high that it grabs all the engineers' resources... that is why the knowledge developed in Ukraine is used in Malaysia.
"That is why we will support cooperation in this area, as we need strong spare parts supply chains. We also can indicate, in terms of engineers' development, that might be useful for modernising the products," he told a press conference here on Saturday (Oct 2).
Meanwhile, the Charge d’Affaires ad interim of the Embassy of Ukraine in Malaysia, Denys Mykhailiuk, said that Malaysian companies have shown strong interest in UAV technology, particularly for border surveillance in dense jungle areas, which are challenging to patrol with manpower alone.
"We are not talking about the striking drones, which are more towards the military, but more to surveillance ones.
"We are very much advanced here, and to my knowledge, there are talks between companies," he said.
Kachka, on a working visit to Malaysia from Oct 31 to Nov 2, 2024, co-chaired the inaugural Malaysia-Ukraine Joint Trade Committee (JTC) meeting with Deputy Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Liew Chin Tong to discuss key sectors, including agriculture, aerospace, sustainable palm oil, medical devices and tourism.
The meeting established a strong foundation for expanding economic partnerships amidst geopolitical challenges.
Separately, Mykhailiuk revealed that Ukraine plans to open two additional halal hubs within the country, supported by Malaysia.
Currently, Ukraine has a halal hub certified by the Islamic Development Malaysia Department (Jakim).
He noted that discussions have taken place with Malaysia, and they have reached an understanding that Malaysian authorities would recognise halal certification in Ukraine.
"Ukraine exports products to traditional markets such as North Africa and Gulf Cooperation Council countries, which demand halal certification.
"This is vital because if Jakim recognises every halal Ukrainian product, it can be marketed directly in Malaysia," he said. – Bernama
