ODESA, APRIL 12th, 2013, CONTEXT-PRICHERNOMORIE ― Member of Parliament, the Chairman of the Sub-committee on social protection of servicemen, their families, and military pensioners of the Committee on National Security and Defence Sergiy Grinevetskiy has stated that multidirectional tendencies are appearing in the field of transport cooperation between Ukraine and Russia, Context-Prichernomorie correspondent reports.

Sergiy Grinevetskiy noted it yesterday, 11 April, during the round table discussion “Single Economic Space: opportunities for the development of effective business without borders” in St. Petersburg.

Russia as the only state with access to world trade routes plays a dominant role in the maritime and transport policies of the Customs Union. But just as in the transport cooperation between Ukraine and Russia are appeared multidirectional tendencies. On the one hand, in recent years a number of steps to strengthen cooperation in the transport sector have been taken. In May 2010, the transport ministries of the two countries signed a plan for integration of transport systems. A number of important agreements to ensure safety of navigation in the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait, the presidents of the two countries issued a joint statement on the maritime delimitation in the Azov and Black Seas, and the Kerch Strait,” Sergiy Grinevetskiy stated.

On the other hand ― recently Russia took a number of steps aimed at improving the competitive advantage of Black Sea ports. Thus, the high hopes for Black Sea port infrastructure in preparation for the Winter Olympics in Sochi in 2014, officially presented the project “Establishment of dry cargo sea port of Taman”, which has a long term capacity of over 100 million tonnes,” people’s deputy noted.