Dear Readers,
The unveiling of Business Ukraine - the new weekly business magazine in English - comes at a very important stage in Ukraine's political and economic development. Ukraine has recently experienced a number of groundbreaking events, which have unleashed a sometimes heated debate about where the country should be heading.
While a lot of focus has been on political differences, the truth is that the common goal is actually the same in both East and West Ukraine: economic prosperity and higher living standards.
Ukraine wants to make up for years of underachievement to become a modern and economically vibrant economy, confident of its strengths and fully prepared to embrace the forces of global competition - from which no one is immune these days.
We at Business Ukraine fundamentally believe that this common aspiration is what is fuelling such strong economic growth. Despite political turmoil, the country's GDP expanded by an impressive rate last year and is expected to do very well again in 2007.
All foreign investors, from real estate, banking, manufacturing, service and agriculture are studying Ukraine, with a view to making an investment or forming local business partnerships.
The coming together of foreign capital and know how, with Ukraine's vast potential and growth opportunities in every sector of its economy, is in our view the most important event in the country's sixteen years of transition.
Opportunities exist for local business people, foreign investors and the Ukrainian government to make a real difference in closing the wealth and technology gap between Ukraine and Western Europe.
An important part of this journey will be in the coming together of minds - exchange of opinion, ideas and market information - to help business leaders make critical decisions based on unbiased and accurate information.
Business Ukraine is determined to be the main source of such information - the leading weekly business magazine in the country as a whole.
Our mission is to help unlock Ukraine's business potential by shedding light on existing opportunities and help both local and international business people to navigate through the often murky waters of markets in transition.
We also will strive to provide both engaging and compelling articles to ensure that Business Ukraine will become an indispensable part of your weekly reading.
I wish you a prosperous 2007 and look forward to your feedback.
