Tariceanu: We want to recoup what we invested in Krivoy-Rog

Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu said on Wednesday Ukraine should find a solution to begin a clear discussion with Romania on acknowledging the amount of money Romania invested in building the Krivoy-Rog plant.

The prime minister said he discussed this issue at the meeting with visiting Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, who pledged that Ukraine would communicate Romania its proposals in a month.

Tariceanu explained there is a difference between what the Romanian side claims to be the money invested in the plant and the Ukrainian side’s view. He said the two countries should first agree on an amount and then find a way by which Ukraine should repay the amount to Romania, either as money or as products made by the steel plant.

President Traian Basescu had said after the talks with Yushchenko on Tuesday that Romania is no longer interested in continuing the investment in the Krivoy-Rog plant, since the Romanian steel-making industry has been privatised.

‘However, we are interested that the solutions the Ukrainian state will have for resolving the Krivoy-Rog matter be solutions we should be consulted on and that should enable us to recoup nearly one billion dollars Romania invested there. Nevertheless, it is not the amount Romania will recoup from the plant’s privatisation that is the most important – it may be 30 percent, or 200 percent depending on the privatisation price. The most important thing is that it should be a fair solution for all the participants in this investment’, Basescu underscored.

President Yushchenko had said the Ukrainian side is in favour of a transparent settlement of the issue. He stressed Ukraine will act by observing the international obligations.

The construction works on the Krivoy-Rog plant were initiated by the former Soviet Union in 1983. After the Soviet Union collapsed, Ukraine got 56.4 percent of the shares, Romania 28 percent and Slovakia 15.6 percent. However, Ukraine halted the financing. ROMPRES