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Photo: BSF flagship Guard missile cruiser Moskva. AFP/Getty Images
Most probably, Ukraine's new administration will sign new agreement which to the utmost improves conditions of Russia's Black Sea Fleet (BSF) deployment in Sevastopol. In return, Ukrainian side hopes on definitive legal demarcation of Russo-Ukrainian border which is required for Ukraine's integration into Europe.
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Kiev will have to sign new agreements on BSF
06.09.2010
Settlement of frontier problem with Russia directly affects Ukraine's potential visa-free status with Europe. Official Brussels suppose that Russo-Ukrainian border is a kind of a sieve for illegal migrants. So, Kiev has no chances of progress in talks with Brussels on visa-free status until Ukrainian and Russian sides settle the frontier issue, reports Zerkalo Nedeli.
According to the agency, Russia offers to conclude an agreement regulating use of arms by Russian BSF servicemen out of deployment sites. Besides, that proposal announced by Russian deputy foreign minister Grigory Krasin includes documents dealing with movements of Russian mariners at the Ukraine's territory.
Those documents also define customs procedures for BSV servicemen, preferential tariff treatment while import materials for the Russian fleet, and sequence of arms re-equipment.
In addition, Russia is about to conclude agreements on the fleet's infrastructure and joint use of navigational and hydrographic facilities. The documents also include mutual exchanges related to BSF stay since May 28, 2017.
In its turn, Ukrainian party intends to tie agreements on emergency prevention in BSF deployment sites and on the parties' actions in crisis situations connected with the use of BSF.
According to Zerkalo Nedeli, after ratification of new agreements "...in future, Kiev will ask Moscow whether to allow foreign warships to call at Sevastopol".
It should be added that on Aug 25 Russian and Ukrainian deputy foreign ministers held political consultations on delimitation of the Kerch Strait and BSF modernizations. Ukraine is ready to come to terms with Russia in BSF re-equipment issue if Russia agrees to demarcate the Kerch Strait, said MP Leonid Kozhara, deputy head of Ukraine's parliamentary committee on foreign affairs.
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