Ukraine’s State Emergency Service has opened a demining center in Mariupol, Donetsk region, the Interior Ministry said on Facebook on Saturday. The ceremony was attended by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and Interior Minister Arsen Avakov. “Currently we are at war and we all want this war to be over. We understand that yours is a very serious role because after the end of the war, when we have definitely reclaimed our territories, you will have a very serious responsibility… The war of demining will continue,” Zelensky said at the ceremony.
Modern equipment and demining robots were purchased for the center, the president’s press service said.
“Currently, 7,000 square kilometers of the Donbas area controlled by Ukraine is set with landmines,” it said.
It was reported that on Saturday Zelensky was visiting Mariupol on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the city’s liberation.
The Verkhovna Rada has ratified an agreement between the governments of Ukraine and France regarding the official support of a project on supply of drinking water to the city of Mariupol (Donetsk region). An Interfax-Ukraine correspondent has reported that a total of 258 lawmakers backed the agreement. According to the Framework Agreement, the French side provides Ukraine with a loan in an amount not exceeding EUR 64 million for the project on supply of drinking water to Mariupol.
The agreement also provides for the development of a master plan for improving the water supply and drainage system of Mariupol until 2040.
According to an explanatory note to the bill on ratification, the project will include the construction and launch of modern filtering stations in Mariupol, as well as the modernization of the existing centralized water supply pipelines and drainage system to reduce the consumption of drinking water and discharge of sewage into the environment.
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), part of the World Bank Group, has signed a loan agreement on providing financing in the amount of EUR 12.5 million to buy 64 large buses, the press service of the Finance Ministry has reported.
According to the press release, the funds are also sent to the reconstruction of the city bus depot, the renovation of repair equipment and the development of the city’s transport infrastructure management. The project will increase the capacity of public transport in the city and reduce hydrocarbon emissions into the atmosphere.
“Since 2014, decentralization is one of the key priorities of the government, and we have already transferred many financial resources to municipalities, and with them responsibility. Therefore, it is extremely important for us that international partners support this approach with financial resources. IFC investments in Mariupol infrastructure, 30 km from the front line is the best proof of our partners’ confidence in Ukraine. We hope that the financing of municipalities will become one of the important activities of the IFC in the future. We would be very grateful if IFC could become the first IFI [international financial institution] that provides such funding in hryvnia, and the Ministry of Finance is ready to support this idea,” the press service of the ministry reported, citing Deputy Minister for European Integration Yuriy Heletei.
As reported, referring to IFC, the loan will amount to 14% of the city’s projected multi-sectoral capital investment program of $90 million in 2019-2010.
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is a large international investor focused on the private sector in Ukraine. The total amount of its investment in long-term projects in various economic sectors of Ukraine has reached over $3.2 billion.
Mariupol seaport (Donetsk region) in January-March 2018 increased cargo handling by 10.5%, year-over-year, to 1.333 million tonnes.
In the first three months of 2018, the port increased transshipment of exported cargo by 5.8%, to 1.26 million tonnes, imported freight by 4.3 times, to 56,000 tonnes, cabotage cargo by 6.5 times, to 16,300 tonnes, the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority said.
Yet, the port did not handle transit goods.
According to the types of cargo, the port did not handle liquid cargo, while dry bulk handling rose by 1.2%, to 239,000 tonnes, that of non-bulk goods increased by 17.8%, to 1.094 million tonnes.
Mariupol seaport is one of the largest ports of Ukraine. Its capacity allows handling more than 17 million tonnes of cargo per year. The port is open all year round for ships with a length of up to 240 meters and a draft of up to 8 meters. Its territory is 73.2 hectares, the length of the berthing line is 4.2 km.
