Ukraine, Slovakia launch emergency early warning project on border

MOSCOW. Jan 18 (Interfax) - Ukraine and Slovakia are launching a project to build an emergency early warning system on their border, the Ukrainian media said with the reference to the press service for the State Customs Service of Ukraine.

"Designated representatives of the two friendly countries met at the Uzhgorod-Vysne Nemecke checkpoint on January 17. The meeting at the Uzhgorod Avtomobilny customs post of the Transcarpathian customs addressed an enlargement of the capacity of operating checkpoints," the media said.

"Checkpoints on the eastern and northern borders have seized operation in Ukraine for now. It is a primary task of Ukraine to maximize the capacity for western border crossing by trucks," the press service quoted deputy head of the State Customs Service Ruslan Cherkassky as saying.

At the moment, 20 motor checkpoints operate on Ukraine's western border with EU members (Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania), the press service said. Only nine of them clear trucks, which sets the primary objective of increasing the capacity of operating checkpoints without additional investment and maximizing the use of the existent infrastructure and capacities of controlling services.

"A way to provide the smooth, rhythmic and streamlined operation of checkpoints and enhance their capacity is the proper interaction between customs and border services of both countries. A system of early warning about emergencies arising on the border with Poland and Hungary is such a mechanism," the service said.

The administration of the State Customs Service invited Slovakia to implement a similar mechanism.

The sides agreed on a pilot project of the implementation of a system of early warning about emergencies on the Ukrainian-Slovak border between February 1 and May 1, 2023.

"Based on results of the pilot project, it is planned to sign at the level of national customs and border services in May 2023 and to begin the continuous implementation of a memorandum on the establishment of a system of early warning about emergencies on the Ukrainian-Slovak border," the State Customs Service said.