I am Alastair Nicolson, Head of Strategic Planning and Research at Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), the Economic and Community Development agency for the north and west of Scotland. My interest in this tour is to find out how Ukraine has changed since the Orange Revolution, what people’s views are on European integration and how its relationship with Russia is evolving.
I am also particularly interested in learning more about the economy of a country which used to be the breadbasket of the Soviet empire. Available evidence suggests that in the years following independence its main sources of wealth creation were pillaged by Oligarchs. However, more democracy and more freedom often lead to an increase in confidence – a necessary prerequisite for economic development. The country has a population of almost 50m people in a very strategic location, but very little is known about it. I hope this tour will help to change that.
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