Vaskov: Romania was warned about the dredging of the Bystre estuary

Ukraine did not violate any interstate agreements by deepening the Bystre estuary on the Danube to increase food exports from the region’s ports.

“We officially informed the Romanian side back in August 2022 that we will carry out operational dredging, that is, sediment removal, and we did not receive any comments,” Deputy Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development Yuriy Vaskov told Reuters in an interview.

Vaskov noted that “MIU does not see a problem in this” – this is not a new construction, but an operational deepening.

He recalled that in the middle of 30 years ago, the depth of the channel was 6.5 meters. However, in recent years, Ukraine has not carried out dredging operations, which has led to the accumulation of silt. The dredging, carried out in 2022, is aimed at restoring sufficient depths in the channel for the passage of ships with a draft of up to 6.5 meters.

Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania summoned the ambassador of Ukraine, Ihor Prokopchuk, in connection with the hydrotechnical works in the Kilia estuary of the Danube. Romania has expressed concern over signs that neighboring Ukraine is dredging a canal that cuts through a shared, ecologically sensitive coastal region.