Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovakia, Germany and Hungary have introduced permit-free travel for humanitarian cargo carriers to Ukraine, according to the Telegram channel of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine.
The matter concerns the release of carriers from any additional conditions, in particular the need to obtain permits for international freight traffic. This is necessary for the prompt delivery of humanitarian cargo during martial law.
To cross the border with Lithuania, Latvia and Slovakia, you do not need to submit information about the carrier and vehicle.
“We thank our European partners for their support. The Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine continues to work with foreign partners in order to speed up the process of transporting humanitarian cargo in an extremely difficult period for Ukraine,” the ministry stressed.
CARRIERS, GERMANY, HUMANITARIAN AID, HUNGARY, LATVIA, LITHUANIA, POLAND, SLOVAKIA, TRAVEL
From February 4, 2022, upon arrival in Slovakia, for fully vaccinated persons, as well as for persons who have overcome the disease, home quarantine upon arrival in Slovakia is not mandatory, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine has said. “From February 4, 2022, upon arrival in Slovakia, persons who have overcome COVID-19 more than 180 days ago have the same conditions as those vaccinated. That is, for fully vaccinated persons, as well as for persons who have overcome the disease, home quarantine upon arrival in Slovakia is not mandatory,” the service said in a statement on its website on Wednesday.
Previously, people who had the disease were required to go into quarantine. Those who were vaccinated and survived the disease were required to register in the eHranica system.
For now, eHranice registration remains mandatory for unvaccinated individuals after each arrival in Slovakia.
“As for the quarantine for the unvaccinated, it is reduced from ten to five days after arrival in Slovakia, or quarantine is terminated after receiving a negative PCR test result, which can be done immediately after arrival in Slovakia,” the service said.
The service also said that under the rules adopted by the European Commission, for travelers with COVID-19 vaccination certificates, from now on, for EU countries, the vaccination certificate will be valid for travel for nine months. Given this decision, Slovakia has canceled the list of risk countries associated with the omicron coronavirus strain and the special conditions for persons arriving from risk countries.
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg and Slovak Foreign Minister Ivan Korčok will together visit Ukraine on February 7-8 on the invitation of their Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.
The first ever visit by the foreign ministers of the Slavkov or Austerlitz format to Kyiv is to demonstrate solidarity with Ukraine, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry’s press service said in a statement.
Kuleba and his Czech, Slovak and Austrian counterparts will hold talks with key agenda items such as “further support for Ukraine in countering Russian aggression, the implementation of a comprehensive containment package for the Russian Federation, strengthening security cooperation, supporting the economic and financial stability of our state,” it said.
The Slavkov format ministers are also planning to visit the zone of Ukraine’s Joint Forces Operation to familiarize themselves with the current situation, Kyiv said.
Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal notes interest in developing cooperation with Slovakia in terms of information exchange between the customs authorities of both countries.”The head of the Ukrainian government stressed that Ukraine is interested in developing cooperation with Slovakia in the customs sphere. According to him, one of the topical areas of such cooperation is the exchange of information between the customs authorities of both countries and the implementation of a pilot project for the exchange of preliminary information,” the governmental press service said following a joint visit by Shmyhal and Prime Minister of Slovakia Eduard Heger to the Uzhgorod – Vyshne Nemetske checkpoint on the Ukrainian-Slovak border on Friday.Also, according to the Prime Minister of Ukraine, the issue of concluding agreements with Slovakia remains open, which will allow opening pedestrian and bicycle traffic through the checkpoint Uzhgorod – Vyshne Nemetske. “The relevant protocol is under consideration by the Slovak side. We look forward to a constructive discussion of these issues during our bilateral meetings,” said Shmyhal.
Uzhgorod International Airport received its first flight on Friday in accordance with the intergovernmental agreement signed between Ukraine and Slovakia in September 2020.
According to the press service of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine, now air traffic control, as well as the use of airspace at a tactical level, will take place in a certain part of the airspace of Slovakia. Non-precision instrument approach procedures will be applied at the Uzhgorod aerodrome.
The ministry said that this agreement was necessary due to the fact that this airport is located in a mountainous area in such a way that the threshold of runway 10 is located a few hundred meters from the Ukrainian-Slovak border. Therefore, the use of the airspace of a neighboring country is a prerequisite for instrument landings at this airfield.
“From today, the possibilities of using the airfield for airlines in Uzhgorod have been expanded. This is the result of Ukraine’s long-term work at the international level, and we expect that it will have a positive effect on the development of air transportation in the region. We see that there is a demand for both international and domestic flights. For example, flights on the route Kyiv – Uzhgorod – Kyiv, restored this summer, almost always take place with full load of seats,” Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said.
UkSATSE, in turn, said that Ukraine’s ability to manage air traffic in part of the airspace of an EU member state is proved by an updated certificate that the state-owned enterprise received from the EU Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on August 31, 2021.
The Slovak Republic opens an entrance for Ukrainian citizens who have completed a full course of vaccination against coronavirus (COVID-19), Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said.
“Slovakia has opened up for Ukrainians who have completed a full course of vaccination. For those who have not yet been vaccinated, entry is possible with self-isolation,” Kuleba said on his Twitter page on Wednesday.
