We had the opportunity to meet UkrOboronProm Director General Pavlo Bukin during the Arms and Defence Expo in Kiev. Bukin explained his vision on Turkish–Ukrainian relations on defence issues. Having lived for three years in Turkey since 2004, Bukin believes that his experience provided him a great opportunity to cultivate relations. He understands Turkish philosophy as he is familiar with the culture and language. Bukin employs Turkish speaking personnel and believes that speaking English is not sufficient in itself.

C4Defence: How do you define Turkish-Ukrainian defence relations?

UkrOboronProm Director General Pavlo Bukin: Turkish-Ukrainian relations in the military/defence sphere have intensified during last three years. We have an intergovernmental commission to develop them. This summer, there was a meeting of this commission. As UkrOboronProm (UOP), we have very close contacts with our counterpart in Turkey, SSB (Presidency of Defence Industries).