ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia - Claims that Ukrainian customs officials and border guards were not invited to inspect the humanitarian convoys are not true, the press service of the Russian Border Department's Rostov regional division, said.
“In line with the agreements reached, the Russian side had invited Ukrainian border guards and customs officials on many occasions to jointly inspect the humanitarian convoy at the Matveyev-Kurgan checkpoint,” it said in a statement.
The Ukrainian side turned down the invitation, laid down in the Russian border service’s letter to the chief of the Eastern regional Department of the Ukrainian State Border Service. The Ukrainian side was asked to join the procedure of clearing the Russian humanitarian cargo on Sept. 20, it says.
“The Ukrainian side officially rejected the offer in a letter,” the statement says.
The Russian border guards also refuted claims that banned cargo was being transported in the humanitarian column.
“Journalists watched the inspection procedure by Russian border guards and customs officials at a checkpoint,” the regional border division said.
Videos of the inspection have been disseminated through the Internet and media already, and they show that Russian customs officials and border guards had registered this humanitarian column with the observance of all procedures, the statement says.
The refusal to inspect the third convoy jointly with the Russian side was not the first one, it said.
