U.S. Steel Košice (USSK) finds the current situation in which Ukraine has halted railway cargo transport across the Matovce-Užhhorod border as unacceptable due to a scanning device which inspects the trains at the border, USSK spokesman, Ján Bača, told the SITA newswire on August 19.
"The current situation is unacceptable for us. We are monitoring and evaluating the situation that has arisen and we believe that the governments of Slovakia and Ukraine will resolve this problem very quickly. We realize that the inspection system is inevitable to protect an entry border to the Schengen zone. However, we are not in a position to solve the cause of the dispute. We informed those who are decisive for resolution of the problem about how important a smooth transport of raw material via borders is for us," said Bača.
According to statement by the Ukrainian railways, the official reason for halt of the railway cargo transport to Slovakia is the scanning device which inspects the trains at the border, as Ukraine claims that it is harmful to the health of Ukrainian railway employees.
About twelve cargo trains use this railway border crossing every day. USSK imports iron ore pellets as well as a part of a coking black coal from Russia and Ukraine. U.S. Steel Košice is the biggest industrial employer in eastern Slovakia, with over 12,000 employees.
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
