Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Ukraine to observe Black Sea Fleet agreements

MOSCOW, October 23 (Itar-Tass News Agency) Ukrainian Foreign Minister Petro Poroshenko has said that Ukraine is determined to observe basic agreements on the Black Sea Fleet. “Kiev has declared its allegiance to what is recorded in the basic agreements on the deployment of the Black Sea Fleet on the Ukrainian territory,” Poroshenko said at a press conference on the results of his talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. “Ukraine did not raise the question on the revision of the basic agreements on the Black Sea Fleet at today’s talks. We did not hear such proposals from Ukraine. We discussed at the talks the problem of the corresponding subcommission, in order to work out clear principles and to apply them in practical work,” Sergei Lavrov said. “I could only confirm that we agreed to settle the emerging problems by means of a direct and effective dialogue. This is why the commission should meet regularly,” Poroshenko said. “We should not become hostages of the discussion of legal aspects of that problem. Both parties will take real steps for ensuring the absence of any causes for using the factor of the Black Sea Fleet in discussions between Russia and Ukraine.”