Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine Vladyslav Kryklii held a bilateral meeting with Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Kitack Lim. The meeting was held on November 25, 2019 as part of the Minister’s working visit to London, United Kingdom that will last from November 25-26, 2019.

Vladyslav Kryklii thanked Mr. Kitack Lim, Secretary-General of the IMO  for the continued technical assistance provided by IMO to Ukraine. The Minister also praised the support of the IMO member countries to Ukraine in matters related to the violation of international maritime law by the Russian Federation.

The Minister of Infrastructure noted that amid the constant tension created by Russia in the Black and Azov Seas, annexation of Crimea and its consequences, Ukraine will fulfill its international obligations in the field of maritime safety and environmental protection, as well as work on introduction mandatory IMO instruments by 2022.

Vladyslav Kryklii assured the Secretary General of the IMO that Ukraine will support the goals and tasks of the IMO, namely, the reorganization of the IMO Council and its enlargement to 52 members, the fight against climate change, the promotion of international maritime shipping, the fight against sea rovery.

Ukraine is eager to expand its participation in the implementation of IMO priorities at both global and regional levels, Vladyslav Kryklii stressed. "During the 15 session of the Black Sea SAR Conference in Georgia this September, Ukraine launched an initiative to organize training courses on search and rescue operations (SAR Mission Coordinator) in the near future in Odessa. We are confident that such training will be effective for search and rescue operations in the Black Sea region. We look forward to supporting the IMO proposal and will be grateful for your assistance in organizing a new IMO Model SMS Course 3.14 for Black Sea coastal states based on training centers in Odessa".