Ukrainian and Russian Presidents Viktor Yanukovych and Dmitry Medvedev have signed a joint statement on issues of security in the Black Sea region.
The statement was signed after the third meeting of the Ukrainian-Russian interstate commission in Kyiv on Monday.
Medvedev and Yanukovych also approved the wording of a protocol on the third meeting of the Ukrainian-Russian interstate commission.
"The sides attach great importance to cooperation between their navies, along with cooperation between the naval forces of other Black Sea states, as part of the Blackseafor Black Sea Naval Cooperation Task Group, Operation Black Sea Harmony, as well as multilateral initiatives on combating terrorism and piracy in the Mediterranean Sea and the oceans of the world," the document says.
In the statement, Moscow and Kyiv committed themselves to fully implementing agreed measures to strengthen trust in the Black Sea.
The sides expressed their intention to develop cooperation "in the interests of the fight against illegal fishing and smuggling," and are planning to improve an exchange of information on ensuring navigation safety in the Black Sea region.
Russia and Ukraine will also work together to strengthen the environmental safety of the Black Sea and will continue to enhance the effectiveness of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, reads the statement.
