MINSK, 17 April (BelTA) – The number of citizens of Ukraine, who have arrived in Belarus since the beginning of the year, is 30% lower than the number registered in the same period of 2016, BelTA learned from Aleksei Begun, Head of the Citizenship and Migration Department of the Belarusian Interior Ministry, on 17 April.
The official said that the authorities now monitor the number of incoming Ukrainians on a monthly basis instead of a daily basis. While the numbers have dropped, Ukrainian citizens still keep coming. In the last three years Belarus welcomed 160,000 people from Ukraine, including those, who stayed temporarily. “They have used their status to get Belarusian citizenship, additional protection, residency permits, and special permits to work in Belarus. Or they temporarily stayed in Belarus in order to leave later for the European Union, Russia, or other countries,” said Aleksei Begun.
“People leave Ukraine because they run away from the military conflict. They needed aid and legalization opportunities. A presidential decree was adopted then to address the problems that Ukrainians faced in Belarus. Some didn't have personal identification documents. There were problems with providing material aid and other kinds of aid. People needed medical attention. By coming up with a set of mutually acceptable rights and obligations, we were able to offer decent conditions to the migrants,” noted the official.
