The participants in the first Russian-Ukrainian interregional economic forum in Gelendzhik (Russia) have agreed that customs procedures on the Russian-Ukrainian border must be relaxed as much as possible.
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych said this at a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev after the forum on Monday.
"We’ve set the task of reducing to as much as possible the procedures for our citizens, goods crossing the checking points in our cross-border regions, and [will] create joint conditions for citizens living in border regions," he said.
In addition, Yanukovych said that the presidents of Ukraine and Russia during the forum ordered the relevant agencies of their governments to elaborate this procedure and prepare draft decisions on its realization.
He also proposed that the presidents of Ukraine and Russia be the first to go through the relaxed procedures on the Russian-Ukrainian border.
Medvedev, in turn, asked Yanukovych which type of transport they would use – car or a train – and added that the presidents had already crossed the state border by car.
The presidents agreed this time they would cross the border on a high-speed train.
