Foreign Ministers of Poland and Ukraine have signed deals on cross-border traffic and education programmes.

Foreign ministers Radosław Sikorski and Petro Poroshenko have signed agreements in Warsaw on the trans-border movement of people and on financing tuition fees of Ukrainian students at the College of Europe in Natolin near Warsaw.

Mr Sikorski  described the agreements as yet more proof of the Polish-Ukrainian strategic partnership.

The first of the two agreements paves the way for introducing common customs controls at the Polish-Ukrainian border. Minister Sikorski stressed, however, that this matter has to be resolved together with the European Commission, Poland’s eastern border being also the eastern frontier of the European Union.

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister said that the border between the two countries should be one of friendship and not mistrust.

Mr Sikorski reiterated Poland’s support for Ukraine’s European aspirations and for that country’s far-reaching participation in the Eastern Partnership programme.

Poland has also pledged to finance post-graduate courses for Ukrainian students at the College of Europe in Natolin.

The two foreign ministers announced the establishment of a forum for social dialogue which is to deal with difficult issues in the history of Polish and Ukrainian nations.

It was Mr Poroshenko’s first visit to Poland since he became Ukraine’s foreign minister last month. (mk)