Lithuania and Ukraine discuss cooperation in transport sector
On October 17-18 Lithuanian and Ukrainian Intergovernmental Commission for Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation has held a meeting in Palanga, the Transport Ministry said.
Parties discussed opportunities of cooperation in transport sector and stimulation of freight transportation by rail between the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea due to the development of East-West transport corridor and improvement of freight transportation conditions by road, reports LETA/ELTA.
Among the most successful cooperation examples is the project container train Viking linking the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda and Ukrainian port of Ilyjchovsk.
Amounts of goods transported by the train Viking are growing every year. During the nine months of this year there were transported 43,500 TEU – it is by 42 percent more than in the same period of the last year.
Other countries are also invited to join the project. Memoranda of Understanding have been signed already with Georgia and Moldova regarding the intensification of freight transportation between the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea.
Lithuania and Ukraine are also discussing the opportunities of closer cooperation in transportation of goods by road. At present a draft of Ukrainian and EU free trade agreement is under preparation. On the basis of this agreement the countries will be able to liberalise the road freight transport market and repeal the presently existing system of permits.
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