MINSK, 10 January (BelTA) - Belarus has notified Russia of the possible launch of a visa-free regime for foreign travelers, Igor Fisenko, Head of the Central Consular Office of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told a press briefing held in BelTA's press center on 10 January to discuss the introduction of the five-day rule for visa-free travels in Belarus.
“There is no process of harmonization as such. Naturally, we notify each other of the measures we take or are going to take. We hold annual consular consultations during which we share such information. During the most recent consultations, we notified our Russian partners of the regulations adopted and in the pipeline, including the possible launch of the visa-free entry to Belarus,” Igor Fisenko said.
“We draw attention to the fact that this procedure does not apply to the flights from/to Russia. Thus, we take the interests of the Russian Federation fully into account,” he added.
As BelTA reported earlier, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko signed Decree No. 8 “On the introduction of the visa-free entry and departure for foreign citizens” on 9 January.
The document introduces visa-free entry through the border checkpoint at the Minsk National Airport and visa-free stay in Belarus for up to 5 days for citizens of 80 states.
These are 39 countries of Europe, including the entire European Union, Brazil, Indonesia, the USA, Japan, and other countries.
