October 20 (SeeNews) - The Romanian government said that prime minister Marcel Ciolacu and Ukrainian counterpart Denys Shmyhal signed bilateral agreements aimed at the safe transit of Ukrainian goods, cooperation in the defence and pharmaceutical industries, and the construction of a cross-border road bridge.
The documents, signed during the meeting between the Romanian and Ukrainian governments in Kyiv, also involve a protocol for putting into action an agreement between the EU and Ukraine on returning people to their home countries.
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The agreement safeguarding the transit of Ukrainian goods also outlines a development strategy for border checkpoints and the related road infrastructure.
Romania’s prime minister reiterated the country’s commitment to double its transit capacity for Ukrainian grain from 2 million tonnes per month to 4 million tonnes. This would enable the passage of over 60% of Ukraine’s cereal exports, Ciolacu said in a joint press conference following a meeting with Shmyhal in August.
“Together, we found a jointly agreed upon formula to facilitate both the transit of grains and to protect the Romanian market and the interests of Romanian farmers,” Ciolacu was quoted as saying.
The European Commission welcomed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) facilitating the secure passage of Ukrainian products, it said in a separate press release on Wednesday. The agreement will further increase the capacity of the Solidarity Lanes in the context of the damage caused to Ukraine’s transport infrastructure by Russia’s aggression.
Ukraine and Romania also agreed on the construction of a cross-border road bridge over the Tisa River, between the towns of Sighetu Marmatiei in northwestern Romania and Bila Tserkva in Ukraine.