Ukraine, Moldova agree to facilitate border crossing

KYIV - The customs agencies of Ukraine and Moldova have agreed to simplify the procedure of border crossing, the State Customs Service of Ukraine said in a statement on Monday.

The agreement was reached during a meeting of Vyacheslav Demchenko, acting head of the State Customs Service of Ukraine, and Igor Talmazan, director of the Customs Service of Moldova, in Ukraine's southern city of Odesa.

The two countries agreed to work out mechanisms of priority passage of fuel and agricultural goods through the joint border and intensify efforts to speed up the customs clearance procedure.

In particular, the parties agreed to optimize the load on the existing customs infrastructure by redirecting some vehicles to less congested checkpoints.

Besides, Ukraine and Moldova decided to consider expanding the number of checkpoints with phytosanitary and veterinary control, as well as simplifying the entry of Ukrainian trucks without special permits to Moldova.

Last month, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that Ukraine and Moldova will upgrade their Free Trade Area agreement that was signed in 2003.