The Cabinet of Ministers initiated the suspension of the agreement with Syria regarding merchant shipping

The government approved the draft law on the termination of the agreement on merchant shipping between the Cabinet of Ukraine and the government of the Syrian Arab Republic.

The draft law provides for the termination of the agreement with Syria on merchant shipping, concluded on June 5, 2003 in Kyiv, said the permanent representative of the Cabinet of Ministers in the Verkhovna Rada, Taras Melnychuk.

This agreement regulated trade relations between Ukraine and Syria in the field of shipping.

“The Contracting Parties confirm their commitment to the principles of freedom of commercial shipping and agree to avoid actions that harm the operation of their vessels and the normal development of international shipping,” the law states.

In addition, the law provided for:

• providing ships of both parties to the agreement with free access to ports,

• use of ports for cargo loading and unloading and passenger boarding and disembarking,

• carrying out normal commercial operations and using all existing services for navigation,

• absence of discriminatory port fees and taxes.

Previously, USM reported that Syria is one of the largest importers of grain that Russia stole from Ukraine and exports through Crimea. Last year, Syria imported more than 50 000 tons of stolen grain.

As sanctions make it difficult for Syria and russia to trade using conventional sea transport and marine insurance, the countries have come to rely on their own ships to transport grain. Among them are three Syrian vessels that are subject to sanctions imposed by the United States.