Ukraine and Russia to sign agreements on joint exploitation of aquatic biological resources

At the recent talks the Ukrainian Minister of Agricultural Policy in Yuri Melnik and Russia’s Minister of Agriculture have reached an agreement on joint exploitation of aquatic biological resources in the Sea of Azov and in the Black Sea, according to RBC-Ukraine.

The draft agreement has been ready as of 2004, however ever since consultations on the issue have not been conducted. At the same time, the two countries have been conducting commercial fisheries in a vacuum of regulation. The Ukrainian fishermen have been entering the Russian territorial waters and Russian vessels – the Ukrainian, therefore their operations should be regulated in this or that way, said Melnik.

The agreement is supposed to be signed until the end of 2006 after necessary revision by the experts of the parties.