EU confirms readiness to support Ukraine in mine clearance - Interior Ministry
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine has held a meeting with a delegation of the Foreign Policy Instruments Service of the European Commission, headed by Director Peter Wagner, dedicated to mine clearance issues, the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported.
"Today, on October 4, a delegation of the Foreign Policy Instruments Service headed by Director Peter Wagner arrived at the Ministry of Internal Affairs to discuss the issue of mine clearance and further support for Ukraine. Rolf Holmboe, Head of the EU Advisory Mission for Civilian Security Sector Reform Ukraine (EUAM Ukraine), also took part in the meeting," the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported on its official website on Wednesday.
As Klymenko noted, the density of mining regions differs and depends on the period of occupation of settlements, because the longer the Russian troops were on a particular territory, the more difficult it is to clear them from mines. "Without innovation and fruitful cooperation, we will continue to demine our territories for a long time. To do this, we need to develop a plan for 5-10 years for mine clearance in order to understand the number of necessary equipment and specialists," Klymenko said.
For his part, Wagner noted that the European Union understands these problems. According to him, they, together with their partners, are working on a clear strategy to act in one direction and help Ukraine even more effectively in the issue of mine clearance:
"As the EU, we have added to the list of our activities the purchase and supply of necessary equipment for Ukraine. And we strive to do this in strict accordance with your mine clearance needs. And therefore, our colleagues must constantly be in contact to promptly know about the needs of Ukraine," Wagner said.
It is reported that the parties also discussed plans for the next meeting in Zagreb at the conference on mine clearance of Ukraine. In particular, the Head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine announced the presentation of a comprehensive strategy for cleaning Ukraine from explosive objects.
