The average “babushka” in Ukraine may know more about the Arab world than her counterparts in Europe or the United States. But ask her grandchildren what they know about the Arab world, and you’ll probably hear something about the latest holiday excursion to Egypt or news about terrorist attacks in Iraq.
In the heydays of the Soviet Union, countries such as Egypt and Syria were brothers and friends against the Cold War enemies of the West. Soviet Ukraine heavily subsidized and armed Arabic nations, and educated their students in universities.
Nearly two decades after the Soviet Union collapsed, however, Ukrainian-Arab relations have dimmed.
Ihor Semyvolos, director of the Middle East Research Center in Kyiv, said misunderstandings abound.
Arabs “hear about our bandits and mafia,” Semyvolos said. “And we hear about their sly traders and bloody conflicts. We lack positive information about each other or simply news about daily life.”
This installment of World in Ukraine segment focuses on nations that are part of the Muslim world, specifically those in the Arab world. One of the largest Muslim nations, Pakistan, has been profiled separately, while another, Indonesia, will be the subject of future World in Ukraine stories.
Ukraine, as a financially struggling independent nation of 46 million people, doesn’t have the foreign policy clout of a superpower.
Consequently, Ukraine’s government has “no strategy towards the Middle East,” Semyvolos said in diagnosing the state of affairs between Ukraine and Arab countries.
It is a pity, because industry insiders say the potential is huge.
Andriy Ignatov, an expert from the Kyiv-based World Policy Institute, said more trade could easily take place in these areas: equipment for oil and gas exploration and transportation, ships, agricultural machinery, and construction equipment among others.
Arab energy-rich countries are eyeing Ukraine’s fertile soils to compensate for the poor quality of their agricultural lands.
Tourism is another area for growth. Egypt has become a popular destination for Ukrainians. Half a million people visited it in 2008. Other destinations in the Arab world, however, are rarely traveled.
One of the rare and most illustrious examples of cooperation is the state-owned Naftogaz oil and gas company. It has been looking for oil on the Alam El Shawish plot in Egypt since 2006. But changing Ukrainian governments have halted any big advances, said Serhiy Kuyun , the head of A95 consulting group.
“Stability in Ukraine’s politics is crucial to execute these projects. We need the same team of people to stay in the office for more than 2 years [to bring results],” Kuyun said.
To reverse the trend, Ukrainian and Arab businessmen and politicians should get to know each other better and find ways to cooperate, Ignatov said. “A man in a white robe may be a respectable multi-billionaire rather than a simple goat herder, unlike what some people in Ukraine may think,” he added.
The Arab community in Ukraine urges to start trade fairs and business conferences to develop the dialogue. “We lack agreements on the intergovernmental level to establish economic cooperation,” said Kuwait acting ambassador, Talal A.S. Al-Hazza. “Kuwait is the country that can invest billions of dollars, but we need to see that laws are functioning in Ukraine and that our investment would be protected.”
The will on the Ukrainian side seems low at the moment. When the Ukrainian ambassador in Kuwait died in 2003, it took five years to name his successor, said Al-Hazza, citing an example of slow-moving relations.
Therefore, oil-rich Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait choose to work with Western governments instead, said Semyvolos. “Or [they sometimes even prefer] Belarus because if you bribe an official there, you will get a favorable decision, while in Ukraine it’s not always the case,” he added.
Before the big companies break through, smaller businesses have been testing the Ukrainian waters. Some Arab students who came to Soviet Ukraine to study have stayed behind. They started importing fruit, vegetables and clothes from home to sell to Ukrainian customers.
Fawaz Al Tabaa, a Syrian who came to Ukraine in the 1980s to become a professional swimmer, now owns a cafe. Serving Arabic and European cuisine, his Pizza Express has been in business since 1994. “I remember all too well the ugly smell of the Soviet canteen and carrion, not meat, on the shelves of the grocery stores,” Al Tabaa remembered. “As a student, I often stayed hungry.”
Like many fellow students, Al Tabaa married a Christian woman. She did not convert to Islam but agreed to stay home and raise children.
Arabic language teacher Zeid Ahmed Sulaimar from Iraq has a similar story. He married a Ukrainian woman three years ago. A microbiologist, she gave up her career, took up Islam and became a housewife. “There is no need for a woman to work if I’m the breadwinner,” Sulaimar said.
It may be hard to abstain from the many pleasures that life in Ukraine has to offer, but many Arabs in the country are now fasting. From Aug. 11 to Sept. 9 this year, Muslims worldwide refrain from food, drink and sex during the daylight hours as part of Ramadan - the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and the holiest time of the year. This strict fast is aimed at strengthening faith and purifying oneself through self-restraint and prayer five times a day.
For some, it inspires a longing to live again in a Muslim nation.
Fawaz, the Kyiv restaurant owner from Syria, said that despite 28 years in Ukraine, he eventually wants to live in a Muslim state again. “Every Muslim is a trader. With his good deeds and strong faith, he buys his way to paradise. Here my faith becomes weaker and my good deeds are limited,” he said.
By Kyiv Post
Related Links:
Investment Company from Arab Emirates Intends Build Underground in Dnepropetrovsk
Ukraine to Develop Close Cooperation with Arabian World
Investments under Shariat Laws
Ukrainian-Arabic Conference “Investment Opportunities in Ukraine” Took Place in Kyiv
The Press-conference “Investment Potential of Ukraine for the Arab Countries” Took Place in “UNIAN”
