Avakov, Netanyahu discuss migration policy

"Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov and Prime Minister of the State of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the issue of travels of citizens of the two countries," the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine reports.

In particular, Avakov said that the problem of crossing the Ukraine-Israel border had been settled thanks to the joint consistent efforts of the law enforcement agencies of Ukraine and Israel.

The Ukrainian interior minister noted that the problematic issues related to border crossing were settled after signing of the declaration on the intensification of cooperation on July 11.

He recalled that according to the statistics provided by the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, 4,500 Ukrainian citizens were denied entry to Israel in 2017, 3,500 Ukrainians - in 2018, and 2,500 have failed to visit Israel already this year.

At the same time, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, 220 citizens of Israel were denied entry to Ukraine in 2018 and 716 Israeli citizens were denied entry this year. However, there has not been a single entry denial from the Ukrainian side since July 24.

 “We have managed to ensure proper treatment of Ukrainian and Israeli citizens during border and customs control, reduce the waiting time for return flights, and provide citizens with an official document with the reason for entry denial if such a decision is made,” Avakov emphasized.

 In turn, Netanyahu noted that close bilateral cooperation between the ministries of internal affairs of Ukraine and Israel allowed resolving the problems of entry denials when crossing the border.

In addition, the law enforcement agencies of the countries are actively cooperating in ensuring the safety of tourists, countering the illegal hiring and employment of citizens.

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