President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko met with Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres and offered strategic cooperation in the area of ballistic missile defense systems and satellite control systems.
Ukraine is considered a leader in the area of ballistic missiles and was the chief developer of long range missiles for the USSR during the Soviet era. “We will be very glad to cooperate with Israeli scientists and developers in the area of missiles and satellites. Development of advanced technological weaponry could be the basis for further strategic cooperation between the two countries,” Yushchenko told Peres.
The Ukrainian president also revealed that he is planning to visit Israel at the beginning of November together with a delegation of business leaders from his country. Peres asked that Ukrainian businessmen would advance joint economic deals with Israel, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, and Lebanon. Yushchenko said that Ukraine is interested in participating in the Valley of Peace project lead by Peres. Peres also suggested that Ukraine and Israel would cooperate in developing future weapons to fight terrorism which will be partially based on nanotechnology.
The meeting between the two was held during an award ceremony in Germany honoring Yushchenko, Peres, and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for their efforts to bring peace and stability to the world.