Belarus to conclude agreements with neighbouring states on simplified border crossing procedures

Belarus will conclude agreements with the neighbouring states on the simplified border crossing procedures for the population living in the border areas after the accession of these countries to the Schengen zone scheduled for January 1, 2008, chief of the consular department of Belarus’ Foreign Ministry Andrei Giro told reporters on October 5. This is a preliminary agreement, said the official. At present Belarus has been negotiating the issue relating to the conditions of mutual trips of citizens with Lithuania, Latvia and Poland. Consular consultations with the Foreign Ministry of Lithuania were held on September 18-19; with the Polish side – on October 2-3. With the two sides Belarus reached an agreement on the necessity to introduce simplified border crossing procedures for the population living in the border areas. “It does not conflict with the relevant Schengen regulations”, Andrei Giro noted. According to him, Latvia has already presented its draft of such a bilateral agreement. “All the issues relating to the movement of the population living in the border areas should be settled by the moment of accession of Lithuania, Poland and Latvia to the Schengen zone,” Andrei Giro underlined.

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