offical: Turmoil affects Slovenia-Ukraine trade

Ukraine's political crisis and social turmoil have set back Slovenia's business cooperation with the former Soviet republic, local mass media reported on Monday. Slovenia's export to Ukraine will possibly be down by half in 2014 from 220 million euros (303 million U.S. dollars) in 2013, Ales Cantarutti, senior official of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce was quoted as saying. "The biggest problem is that there is no public procurement, because the state does not function. There will be no infrastructure investments, which involve many Slovenian companies." In addition to trade troubles, talks over, among others, cooperation over the 2015 Eurobasket, have also come to standstill due to continued turmoil in Ukraine, Cantarutti said. Slovenia, host of Eurobasket in 2013, is trying to offer its experience and services to Ukraine when the latter is to stage EuroBasket 2015.