Having served as a diplomat in Germany, Russia, Somalia, Brazil and Poland for more than 20 years, Hans-Jurgen Heimsoeth took his post as a German ambassador in Ukraine in 2008. In his interview with the Kyiv Post, Heimsoeth shared how his country remains strong and united, how Germany evaluates the course of President Viktor Yanukovych, and describes Germany’s involvement in Ukraine.
Kyiv Post: Germany recently celebrated Unity Day. What does this day mean to your country?
Hans Heimsoeth: Unity Day is a day of joy. It stands for the reunification of Germany in 1990 after the fall of the Berlin Wall. For 45 years after the Second World War, we had no state. It was always our longing to be reunited. It became possible after a peaceful revolution in Eastern Germany.
People stood up against the Berlin Wall and pushed it down. After that, Germany found its place again in Europe – united and having friendly relations with our neighbors. Germany is a diverse country, considering its history in the west and in the east.
KP: How do you keep your country united?
HH: Our success lies in a balanced federal structure on the basis of a very good constitution.
First, we have the Bundestag as the general body representing all Germans, but also the Bundesrat that represents our federal states. These states, called Lander, have their own police and are responsible for culture and education.
Secondly, we encourage political participation.
The members of our parliament do not only come from different states, but also from different parties. Even the former communists, which are now organized in the party Die Linke, sit in the Bundestag and are part of some federal governments.
Vice Admiral Ihor Kabanenko (L) talks with Maj. Gen. Anatoliy Zarytsky at the reception of the German Embassy in Ukraine dedicated to Unity Day on Oct.5. On this occasion, artist Ihor Gaiday decorated the embassy with pictures of siblings that symbolize the fraternity and unity between Western and Eastern Germany. (Oleksiy Boyko).
KP: Please describe Germany-Ukraine relations after the new administration came in office?
HH: We have been working with Ukraine for 19 years, so we’ve been through four presidents and several governments.
Our relations have developed dynamically and in a stable fashion. And the election of a new president by itself doesn’t change anything.
We have a high level of political exchange; Germany is Ukraine’s second biggest trading partner and also the second biggest investor. What counts is the future policy in the direction of the European Union.
KP: How does Germany evaluate the new reform course announced by the Ukrainian government?
HH: We see some positive developments, such as the accession to the energy community of the European Union, and the first good steps to resolve the VAT [value-added tax] refund problem.
“We would also like to see this government stick to the obligations our companies reached with the former government or governors of the oblasts. There are some cases of misunderstanding at the moment”.
– Hans-Jurgen Heimsoeth,German ambassador.
But all in all, a lot still remains to be done.
We would also like to see this government stick to the obligations our companies reached with the former government or governors of the oblasts. There are some cases of misunderstanding at the moment.
Moreover, Ukraine needs to open up. The country will not really develop a dynamic economy if it doesn’t open its economy and accept investors which, of course, bring their money, but also want to do business here.
There are some German companies that are still waiting for the improvements to come. They are following the developments in Ukraine very closely.
KP: What is the face of the German community in Ukraine?
HH: Around 33,000 people in Ukraine are of the German ethnic origin. A new generation of Germans in Ukraine, who came here mostly to do business, makes up around 1,000 people though only 500 are registered with the embassy.
Most of the German newcomers are here for business reasons. But there’s a growing number of people who got married to and have children with Ukrainians, which is a good European development.
In 2008 we opened the first German school in Kyiv and we also have a German Lutheran church here.
KP: What are German business interests in Ukraine?
HH: There are around 1,000 German companies in Ukraine. They are very broadly set up in the automobile industry, retail, construction and logistics. We are also present in banking and insurance.
Ukraine is a very big transit country. Many improvements could be done in the ports, on the roads and railroads.
KP: Will Ukraine and the European Union have visa-free travel by the beginning of the Euro 2012 football championship?
HH: Well, I wish I could say. I don’t know.
“The European Union wants Ukraine to issue secure documents that can’t be forged, and want people to not use so many fake invitations.”
– Hans-Jurgen Heimsoeth,German ambassador.
You see, the Schengen zone is a free-travel zone from Portugal to Finland, so it’s very easy to travel inside. Consequently, it became more difficult to get in from the outside.
The European Union wants Ukraine to issue secure documents that can’t be forged, and want people to not use so many fake invitations.
When police forces in Europe stop someone and asks Ukraine’s police to help with identification, Ukrainian police ought to be able to give an answer within an hour and not in two weeks.
It would be great if they spoke foreign languages. This technical point requires attention.
KP: What’s your opinion regarding of human rights in Ukraine?
HH: The new government got rid of the unit in the Ministry of Interior, which had been monitoring human rights in Ukraine. This is a move in the wrong direction. Even president [Yanukovych] criticized it.
Currently we are watching the situation concerning the freedom of media and opinion in Ukraine very closely. We are concerned with the media situation, especially in the television sector, because business interests and politics often intermingle.
Unfortunately, media representatives often perform unprofessionally themselves and their services can be bought by interested parties.
KP: Germany and Russia are known to have close ties and the world has heard little criticism of Russia’s press freedom from Germany. Why is there such an imbalance?
HH: There is no imbalance. Chancellor Angela Merkel raised questions about missing journalists in Russia at various press conferences.
The human rights commissioner of the German government, Markus Löning, was very outspoken [about the inactivity of Russian government in investigation of the murders of the journalists and general impunity] during his recent trip to Moscow.
But it doesn’t mean that Germany would stop doing business with Russia. The same goes for Ukraine.
The relations between Germany and Russia had a dynamic tendency. But they haven’t followed up as dynamically as some expected, because Russia lacks modernization.
The competitiveness of Russia is not growing to the extent necessary to play a big economic role in the world, besides being an energy supplier.
KP: Do you see any corruption in the fact that Gerhard Schröder (chancellor of Germany from 1998-2006) took a high post at the North Stream project (the construction of a gas pipeline from Russia to Germany where Gazprom has a controlling stake and the rest of the shareholders are German companies) and lobbies for it?
HH: Some retired politicians stay in politics like Tony Blair, some play a role in global funds like Bill Clinton; others go into business.
Mr. Schröder had an offer which he accepted. Of course, you can have your opinion about accepting it. But he had already retired from his chancellor’s post.
KP: What is Germany’s involvement in educational and cultural affairs in Ukraine?
We have a German academic exchange service that spends around 4.3 million euro per year in scholarships.
Around 1,500 scholarships are given to Ukrainian students studying in Germany. It also supports German academic programs at various universities in Ukraine.
Around 700,000 students in Ukraine study the German language in high school and middle school while about 26, 000 students go to specialized schools with intensive courses.
On the cultural side, there is a wide range of activities.
In 2008, we had the German Cultural Days in Ukraine with a number of splendid events. Just recently we organized the “German days” in Crimea. Leipzig, by the way, is Kyiv’s oldest twin city. Next year we will celebrate 50 years of twinning.
| Germany at a glance Territory: 357,104 square kilometers Ukraine-Germany economic relations: Trade: 4.3 billion euro (2009): Ukraine’s second largest trade partner. Sources: State Statistics Committee, German Embassy in Ukraine, Investment- Committee of Ukraine Statistics |
Kyiv Post staff writer Kateryna Grushenko can be reached at [email protected].
Read also ‘World in Ukraine: German heritage alive in Transcarpathian Ukraine‘ by the same author.
