You're reading: Kyiv, Warsaw agree on opening four new border checkpoints

Verkhovna Rada Chairman Andriy Parubiy and Marshal of the Sejm of Poland Marek Kuchcinski have called for an increase in the number of checkpoints on the Ukrainian-Polish border.

“Today [on Oct. 22] we agreed that the next stage during our next visit will be four more border crossing points – [one] in Zakarpattia, two in Lviv region, and one more in Volyn region,” Parubiy told reporters after inspecting with Kuchcinski on Oct. 22 a section of the Ukrainian-Polish border from the side of Poland, where the Malhowice-Nyzhankovychi checkpoint is to be built.

In particular, the issue concerns the construction of new crossing points – Boberka-Smolnik, Lopushanka-Michniowiec (Lviv region), Adamchuky-Zbereze (Volyn region), Lubnia-Wolosate (Zakarpattia region).

Parubiy added that Ukraine and Poland would do their best to fulfill this ambitious program.

He noted that the Polish government had envisaged PLN 100 million in the budget for next year for the creation of the Malhowice-Nyzhankovychi border crossing point. According to Parubiy, the Ukrainian side should build a road to the border crossing point on its territory.

Parubiy noted that this should be a border crossing point not only for vehicles, but also for pedestrians.

“According to the preliminary plan, the project is to be completed in 2020, but now the task is to remove all existing obstacles and create this crossing much faster,” he said.

Kuchcinski, in turn, said that the checkpoint should be created in accordance with international law, “but it would be very good that Ukraine enters the European Union and then we would not have to think about the construction of checkpoints and then this money would be used for pensions, an increase in wages, building roads and improving people’s lives.”

He added that “there is every opportunity to build this checkpoint, but there are also all the opportunities to build other checkpoints mentioned by Mr. Parubiy, which are not enough.”