The work on the settlement of political, economic and social issues related to the presence of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Ukraine is continuing, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has said.

According to the president's annual address, which was released on Thursday, a priority issue for Ukraine is "the functioning of effective mechanisms of control by the Ukrainian state over the operational activity of the Russia Black Sea Fleet," because "its presence in Ukraine was and still is a factor whose significance goes beyond the bilateral format."