Medvedev signs order, affirming international status of all Russian sea ports
GORKI. Sept 29 (Interfax) - Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has said he signed an order that affirms the international status of all Russian sea ports, including those in Crimea.
"I signed an order, which affirms the status of all Russian sea ports, including those located in the Republic of Crimea," Medvedev said at a meeting with deputy prime ministers.
He said that such a decision was connected to the fact that several documents, which earlier confirmed the opening of sea ports for international traffic, either expired or have been lost, and that such inconsistencies led to legal delays.
"Now both border and customs procedures for arriving international vessels, it is hoped, will be much simpler, and will not need additional permits and agreements," Medvedev said.
Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said for the last 25 years Russian sea ports existed de jure with an inconclusive status, although they were de facto open for the entry of foreign vessels. For a number of ports, documents still have not been found even in the archives, for example for Anadyr, Vanino, and Kaliningrad. For a number of ports, the documents were secret, for example, for Vladivostok, Arkhangelsk and Vyborg, though they de facto functioned as international sea ports.
"The document, which you signed, in fact completely legalizes, gives a clear legal status to all the dozens of Russian sea ports, including Crimean ports. They now are fully open for the arrival of foreign sea vessels," Dvorkovich said.