MINSK, 31 January (BelTA-TASS) – Belarus and Russia will develop joint migration policy recommendations, Aleksei Begun, the head of the Citizenship and Migration Department at the Interior Ministry of Belarus, said in an interview with TASS.
“We are preparing an international agreement that will help us resolve issues related to the efforts of the Russian Federation to protect its border. The document will entitle the two sides to enforce internal control on their common border should they want to, but only in certain circumstances,” the Belarusian official said. He specified that large-scale sports and cultural events that are likely to draw many foreign visitors are one of such circumstances.
Aleksei Begun said that matters related to border control will be discussed at a meeting of the interstate interagency working group tasked with developing joint migration policy recommendations in H1 2017.
He added that the Belarusian side considered all potential migration-associated and other risks and threats for the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation, its strategic partner, before taking the decision to launch visa-free entry to Belarus.
