Moscow, 13 February: Russia is ready for a constructive exchange of views with Ukraine on the Black Sea Fleet, the Russian Foreign Ministry has said in a communique.

"The Russian delegation is ready for a constructive exchange of views with Ukrainian counterparts and disposed to search for mutually acceptable agreements on all current issues of the Russian Black Sea Fleet's activities on Ukrainian territory," the document says.

A meeting of a subcommission on issues of the Black Sea Fleet's operations and its stationing on Ukrainian territory is scheduled for Tuesday [14 February]. The subcommission is a constituent part of a Russian-Ukrainian interstate commission.

The Foreign Ministry said the subcommission's meeting will kick off the work of the interstate commission chaired by the presidents of Russia and Ukraine.

The Russian side of the subcommission is led by State Secretary and Deputy Foreign Minister Grigoriy Karasin; the Ukrainian side by First Deputy Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ohryzko.

"The issue of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation is an important part of Russian-Ukrainian relations and the fleet's stationing in Crimea is a link joining Russia and Ukraine together," the communique says. [Passage omitted to end: details of dispute over Black Sea Fleet property].