Presidents of Romania and Ukraine discuss bilateral issues

Oct 30, 2007, 16:13 GMT

Bucharest - Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko and his Romanian counterpart Traian Basescu met on Tuesday in Bucharest to discuss several long-standing issues which have been weighing heavily on bilateral relations.

The talks addressed among other issues the controversy over the sovereignty of Snake Island in the Black Sea and the canal construction which threatens the environment in the Ukrainian Danube Delta.

After talks, which went on for three hours longer than planned, Basescu said they had 'diagnosed' all problems and would now continue to work on their resolution.

Romania continues to support Ukraine's moves towards the European Union, he added, while Yushchenko said the countries' bilateral relations were developing 'dynamically.'

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Romania and the Ukraine have been arguing over the Black Sea Snake Island which de facto belongs to Ukraine.

The 17-hectare rock, 12 nautical miles off the Romanian coast, is said to sit on oil and gas both countries are keen to access.

The island belonged to Romania until 1948, when the then leadership, loyal to Moscow, left it to the Soviet Union, which stationed military surveillance systems on the uninhabitable island.

In the Danube Delta, Ukraine is planning to make the old Bystroe Canal navigable again, while Bucharest has criticized the move as destroying the environment because the Romanian part of the conserved delta would be deprived of water for its flora and fauna.

Other issues between the two countries related to visa regulations and the rights of the Ukrainian and Romanian minorities in the neighbouring countries.