UKRAINE CONFIRMS BAN ON FOOD CARGO TRANSIT TO TRANSNISTRIA

The transit of controlled cargoes to Transnistria via Ukraine will be allowed only in condition of its agreement with Moldova’s National Food Safety Agency (ANSA).

This was confirmed by Ukraine’s National Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection. It confirmed that the requirement meets requirements of the Agreement on Cooperation in Veterinary of the CIS countries. It says that such cooperation takes place between competent authorities in the field of veterinary medicine of Ukraine and Moldova. Permits of central national veterinary agencies of countries, on the territory of which controlled cargoes are imported or transported in transit, should be issued preliminarily at importing and international transit. The travel itinerary is also agreed between the two sides authorities.

The agency reminds that this agreement was initialed by 12 representatives of CIS countries, including Ukraine and Moldova.

“As the agreement action does not concern relations with the PMR, for ensuring its fulfillment, the Ukraine’s national inspector for veterinary medicine took the corresponding decision. It meets requirements of the World Animal Health Organization and entered into force on May 20”, the Ukrainian service stressed, pointing that the decision concerns just the transit and does not affect the supplying of Ukrainian goods to Transnistria.

Meanwhile, Transnistria regarded this ban as a new economic blockade from the side of Kiev and Chisinau and the local foreign policy agency is working on addressing the situation with the prohibition of transit of goods, subject to veterinary control, to Transnistria via Ukraine.

“PMR foreign ministry together with other governmental authorities is discussing possible variants of settling the occurred situation. We already addressed to Ukraine by means of diplomatic channels, we informed Russian partners and all the participants of the 5+2 format negotiations about the situation”, said PMR foreign ministry representative Iacov Chaykin.

According to Transnistria’s main veterinary inspector Andrei Vislovsky, there are already several applications, which were declined approval in Ukraine’s responsible structures.

The official said that the rules, introduced by Ukraine may lead to additional transport ad financial costs.

“The procedure of drawing documents, necessary for bringing cargoes in the PMR territory, is getting more complicate and problems may appear with bringing these cargoes through customs points at the border of Ukrane and Transnistria. Before, the department of veterinary-sanitary and phytosanitary wellbeing of the PMR agriculture ministry was directly interacting with Ukrainian colleagues, thus as of today we do not have a mechanism of agreeing with Moldovan competent authorities the satisfaction of applications for transit cargoes, subject to veterinary control, via the territory of Ukraine”, the inspector said.

ANSA said that the procedure of registering the Transnistrian transit will be free of charge. The Agency maintains that the decision of Ukrainian colleagues correspond with agreements within the CIS and declines accusations of new region blockade.