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.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
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