He said Malaysia is the most advanced among Asean members for infrastructure, semiconductor spare parts supply and skilled manpower.
Discussions on potential collaboration are being held between companies from both nations, he said. Ukraine had advanced technology in drones for military and security purposes but drones were also needed for civilian purposes such as agriculture.
“Now, the usage of UAVs in Ukraine is so high that it uses up all engineering resources; that is why we are going to support cooperation in this area since we need strong supply chains of spare parts,” he told a press conference here today, Bernama reported.
The use of military drones has transformed the battlefield in Ukraine’s efforts to defend itself against a Russian invasion. In March, Britain announced a package of £325 million (RM1.8 billion) for more than 10,000 cutting-edge drones for the Ukrainian armed forces.
Kachka, on a working visit from Oct 31 to Nov 2, co-chaired the inaugural Malaysia-Ukraine joint trade committee meeting with deputy investment, trade and industry minister Liew Chin Tong to discuss cooperation in key sectors, including agriculture, aerospace, sustainable palm oil, medical devices and tourism.
Halal hubs
The interim charge d’affaires of Ukrainian embassy in Malaysia, Denys Mykhailiuk, said that Malaysian companies have shown strong interest in UAV technology, particularly for border surveillance in dense jungle areas, which are challenging to patrol with manpower alone.
“We are not talking about the attack drones, which are for military use, but more on surveillance drones”, in which he said Ukraine was very advanced.
Mykhailiuk also revealed that Ukraine intends to open two more halal hubs in Malaysia, with support from local partners. He said there was an understanding that halal certification in Ukraine would be recognised by Malaysian authorities.
He said Ukraine’s exports of halal products to traditional markets such as North Africa and Gulf countries will carry certification from Jakim (Malaysia’s Islamic development department), “so it is direct marketing for Malaysia”.