MINSK, 17 December (BelTA) – The House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus passed the bill on ratifying the Belarusian-Ukrainian agreement on the operation of border service plenipotentiaries on 17 December, BelTA has learned.
The document was signed in Kiev on 4 May 2015. It will stay in effect until Belarus and Ukraine sign the agreement on the state border regime.
Chairman of the State Border Committee of Belarus Leonid Maltsev told MPs that the agreement with Ukraine will improve the legal protection of the Belarusian border service during the investigation of border incidents and all kinds of emergencies. “In such cases border service officers often operate in the territory of another country. Respectively they need legal protection. The current temporary protocol is good but things will get better when Belarus and Ukraine have ratified the agreement and the border service personnel will be protected by the law,” explained Leonid Maltsev.
In his words, the situation at the Belarusian-Ukrainian border is normal. “We enjoy complete understanding both at the level of the administration of the border services and at the level of individual divisions. We resolve all the problems. A lot of incidents happen. But what kind? People pick up wild-growing mushrooms and berries. People try to smuggle things,” said the Chairman of the State Border Committee of Belarus.
The official went on saying that serious incidents happen as well. In particular, as many as 53 weapons and 500 units of ammunition were seized at the Belarusian-Ukrainian border in 2015. Illegal drugs were sometimes seized, too.
Leonid Maltsev drew attention to the length of the Belarusian-Ukrainian border — over 1,080km. And the border demarcation has not been finished. “Still we have the situation under control. There are no dangers that can be classified as challenges and threats. There are risks… But we suppress all of those,” he remarked.
In turn, Vladimir Bazanov, Deputy Chairman of the National Security Commission of the lower chamber of the Belarus parliament, told media that the agreement will improve the regulation of legal matters at the border with Ukraine. The border service plenipotentiaries will deal with the problems arising from various incidents at the border. They will have deputies and aides.
Belarus also has border security agreements with Latvia and Lithuania. The agreement with Poland was signed by the USSR and has been prolonged since then. But a new document is in the pipeline.
