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Foreign Ministry: Ukrainian-Russian agreement on readmission still not in force

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry has denied reports in some media about the entry into force of the October 22, 2012 agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Russian government on readmission, the ministry's press service has told Ukrinform.

"Due to some media reports about the alleged entry into force of an agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Government of the Russian Federation on readmission dated October 22, 2012, we announce that the agreement is still not in force," reads the statement.

According to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Russia sent a note to Ukraine on November 30, 2012 informing the country about the implementation of internal procedures by the Russian side. On July 8, 2013, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry sent a note to the Russian Embassy in Ukraine concerning the implementation of internal procedures by the Ukrainian side.

However, according to Article 12 of the agreement, it "takes effect 30 days from the date of the receipt through diplomatic channels of a written notification about the implementation by the parties of internal procedures needed for its entry into force." Thus, the agreement will take effect only 30 days after the official receipt by the Russian Foreign Ministry of the said note from the Ukrainian side. In addition, the Russian side should formally notify the Ukrainian side through diplomatic channels about the date for the entry into force of this agreement.

Earlier, some media reported that an agreement on readmission between Ukraine and Russia came into force on July 9.

The new agreement regulates mechanisms for the receipt and transfer of illegal immigrants, which became an obstacle to the functioning of the agreement of 2006. Under the new rules, the states will transfer to each other not only persons who were detained directly during the illegal crossing of the border, but also those detained in both countries.

The agreement on readmission was signed in October 2012 in the presence of Ukrainian and Russian Presidents Viktor Yanukovych and Vladimir Putin.

Adapted from ukrinform.ua