Kiev regrets Polish authorities take no measures to unblock Polish-Ukrainian border
MOSCOW. Dec 7 (Interfax) - Poland is stalling communication on the possible unblocking of the border with Ukraine, and things may change only after the appointment of the new Polish government, Ukrainian Deputy Restoration Minister Sergei Derkach told Ukrainian media.
"There are two options: they either stop any communication for now and wait until Monday or Tuesday (December 11-12), when the new prime minister takes the office, or they make a high-ground decision of some kind. Truth be told, we are not observing any active steps of theirs, any actions," Derkach said on the sidelines of the annual forum of corporate directors of the Corporate Governance Professional Association in Kiev on Wednesday.
Derkach believes that Poland waited for the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council to express its stance at the meeting on December 4 "but did not quite like what it heard." The European Commission reaffirmed further "transport visa-free system" and said that the agreements should be extended. He added that many EU member states supported Ukraine and asked Poland to unblock the border.
"So, we expected some kind of Polish communication regarding the visit. They just arrived yesterday, today they are supposed to have a conversation in the Seimas and in the government, we are waiting for their reaction with the protesters, but, by and large, we do not see any feedback," Derkach said, adding that Ukraine had been sending formal letters on violations but they remained unanswered.
Derkach reaffirmed Ukraine's technical readiness for month-long amendments to the eCherga system coordinated with the Polish protesters and said that the European Commission and the Polish government were duly notified.
The Uhryniv-Dolhobychuv checkpoint is open to empty trucks and technical preparations have been made for separate registration of empty trucks at the Yagodin-Krakovets checkpoint and for ending common online registration for crossing the Nizhankovichi-Malchowice checkpoint in order to simplify it upon arrival at the border, he said.
"I mean there will be registration just the same, because we will not dismantle the system. However, that will last for one month. This is technically prepared and we have fully notified the protesters, the EU and the Polish government. We are waiting for answer. There has been no answer just yet," Derkach said.
The protesters' proposal that Uhryniv-Dolhobychuv and Nizhankovichi-Malchowice checkpoints operate exclusively for EU carriers is discriminatory and unacceptable, and the EU agrees with that, he said.
As reported, the protest of Polish carriers that began at the Yagodin-Dorohusk, Krakovets-Korchova and Rava Russka - Hrebenne checkpoints on November 6 caused the lines to the blocked checkpoints at the Ukrainian-Polish border to reach 40 kilometers on the side of Poland. A total of 20,000 trucks were stranded, and truck traffic dipped 20%-25%. The blocking of the Ukrainian-Polish border spread into the Shehyni-Medika checkpoint on November 22.
The blockade organizers, who demand cancellation of "the transport visa-free system" of Ukraine, said that the blocking would continue until January 3, 2024, with the consent of the local authorities yet certain checkpoints had been allowed to continue the campaign until February.