Ukraine urges the convocation of the Egyptian-Ukrainian committee by the end of the year, the Ukrainian envoy in Cairo said.

In statements to MENA on Thursday, Ambassador Hennadii Latii said Egypt is the most important partner to Ukraine in North Africa and the Middle East.

He noted that the volume of trade exchange reached 3 billion dollars in 2014, but it dropped by 20 percent in the first half of 2015 to stand at 1.185 billion dollars.

Latii called for activating dialogue between the two countries in various domains, noting that official visits have been suspended since 2010 over domestic developments in the two countries.

He noted that some progress has been realized over the past period, citing recent talks between Egyptian and Ukrainian officials.

He noted that the Ukrainian president invited President Abdel Fattah El Sisi to visit Kiev in a cable of greetings sent on the July 23 anniversary.

Ukraine occupies the fourth of fifth position among tourism-exporting countries to Egypt, he said.

According to Ukrainian statistics, 115,000 Ukrainian tourists visited Egypt in 2014.

He noted that talks are underway to launch a direct airline between Cairo and Kiev.

The diplomat noted that the New Suez Canal will help boosting Ukrainian agro-exports to world countries.

Source: MENA