24 March 2014 Federation of Employers of Ukraine 

Dmitry Firtash: Business Should Lend Its Shoulder To the State

Ukrainian business should support the state and provide more resources to the country for high-priority problems solving. This was stated by the President of the Federation of Employers of Ukraine, the Chairman of the Group DF Supervisory Council Dmitry Firtash in the interview to Inter TV Channel.

“In the Federation of Employers of Ukraine we elaborate options on how we can help the budget, how we can support the army. We want to formulate a proposal and then forward it to the government”, – said Dmitry Firtash. “I'm pretty sure that the business should lend its shoulder to the state. In the nearest future the Federation of Employers of Ukraine and I as the President of this organization will appeal to business. We need to support the budget, provide more resources to the country and give Ukraine a possibility to solve high-priority problems”,– stressed the FEU President.

Dmitry Firtash noted, the Ukrainian society had to unite and got through challenges facing the country. “I have no doubt that we will manage to do this. Today, we don’t have to look for any problems, to fight with each other. All society should unite to overcome the difficulties. Politics and business – big and small – have to join forces. If we find understanding inside the country, I sure, that we will solve economic problems too. These issues are connected”, – noted the President of the Federation of Employers of Ukraine.

Talking about the Group DF development, Dmitry Firtash stressed, that investment programs planned for 2014-2016 were carried out at a full-scale. “Today we have a rather good position and we will further develop the enterprises”, - said the businessman. “The enterprises will continue to operate at full capacity. You know that our enterprises are the principal employers for many cities in which they are located. And life conditions in these cities depend on how enterprises operate. Today, as never before, we think about it, discuss emerging issues in order not to reduce social packages despite the difficult economic situation”, – said Dmitry Firtash.

He also noted, that Group DF would do its best to stabilize situation in the country. “You know, that the Group employs more than hundred thousand workers. We operate in all regions of Ukraine – in the East, in the South and in Crimea. I believe that Group DF represents the situation happening in the country. I’m confident, that we will do everything to pay salaries, to provide support that is supposed to be”, – said the businessman.

Dmitry Firtash stressed, that he would do its best to make Ukraine powerful and strong state. “My soul is in Ukraine, because my history as well as the history of my business shows that wherever I earned money I always spent it inside the country. I met with foreign bankers, discussed different issues with them, and they told me that Group DF was risking very much investing all funds in one country – in Ukraine. Now investment bankers remind: we cautioned that investing in one country was a wrong stance. I think in another way. I believe that we do right investing in Ukraine.  Ukraine is not a risk for us. Ukraine is a country we live in. If for foreigners investing here is risky, for me there are no risks in Ukraine. We will do our best to make Ukraine powerful and strong state”, – said Dmitry Firtash.