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The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine at its next meeting will consider a draft resolution on trade turnover with the temporarily occupied territories of Donbas, Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Arsen Avakov told TSN Week.
Settling the issue of trade with the occupied territories is a must, Avakov said.
"There has been an NSDC decision for us to settle this issue, appropriate instructions have been given, and resolutions of the Cabinet of Ministers have been drafted for too long by the Security Service and another structural unit of the government. It has been too long, and now the public is growing suspicious regarding this issue. As far as I know, at the next Cabinet meeting, a draft resolution will be submitted for consideration, which regulates this goods exchange," said the minister.
He reiterated that most of the issues regarding trade turnover are at the moment regulated by a special decision of the Anti-Terrorist Center, which, according to Avakov, "some smart, or, better put it, ‘overly smart’ businesses consider a secondary document, which they can get around."
Read alsoSteelmakers in occupied Donbas cease work due to trade blockade in Ukraine The head of the Ministry of Interior opined that any trade with the occupied territories should be banned except for "critical imports."
"Well, it is not literally the imports because the occupied areas are the Ukrainian territory anyway. But to put things simple, we shall call it "critical imports," which is only related to energy coal as well as products and semi-finished products of steel industry, to ensure the factories continue operations,” said Avakov.
The minister added that in the opposite direction – from the government controlled territory to the militant-controlled areas – there should only be allowed the supplies of spare parts for the repair of mining equipment and mine shaft elevators, and possibly some fixing material. I am not too great of an expert here. These are the four or five positions we’ll have to decide upon. Everything else should be prohibited," Avakov said.
Read alsoStratfor: A blockade brings eastern Ukraine to a slow boilHe also noted that law enforcement agencies did not intend to use force against the participants of the trading blockade. "Neither the police nor the National Guard, no law enforcement agencies were planning to disperse it [the rally] by force," said the minister.
As UNIAN reported earlier, in late January a group of Donbas war veterans and some Members of Parliament initiated a blockade of rail tracks used to transport anthracite coal from the temporarily uncontrolled areas to Ukraine's thermal power stations. The Ukrainian government reported the supplies completely stalled on February 10, posing a threat to smooth energy supplies to certain industries, including metallurgy, as well as to consumers in at least nine regions in Ukraine, where anthracite is used to generate heat and electricity for households.
Read alsoState of emergency on Ukraine's electricity market may last until year-end – Deputy PMIn this regard, the Cabinet at its extraordinary meeting on February 15 decided to introduce a state of emergency on the electricity market, providing a reduction in anthracite consumption to ensure stable operation of the country's energy grid.