MINSK, 7 December (BelTA) – Checkpoints at the Belarusian-Polish border operate at nearly their full throughput capacity. Belarusian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Evgeny Shestakov made the statement during the 13th session of the Belarusian-Polish intergovernmental commission on coordinating transboundary cooperation in Minsk on 7 December, BelTA has learned.
The official said that the development of the legal base Belarus-Poland cooperation relies on and the future signing of more agreements will lay a strong legal foundation for modernizing the border infrastructure. Respectively the move will improve the trade and investment climate in regions near the border in addition to bolstering the transit potential of Belarus and Poland.
Belarus views investments in border infrastructure as investments in the future of the territories, in the realization of their transport, logistics, tourism, environment, and recreation potential. Polish support is crucial to raising funds from European sources for the sake of implementing the relevant projects, including those within the framework of the 2014-2020 Poland-Ukraine-Belarus transboundary cooperation program. “By the way, this kind of support will help us discuss the enactment of the Belarusian-Polish intergovernmental agreement on transboundary traffic rules in more objective ways,” said the Belarusian deputy minister of foreign affairs.
The diplomat said that the Belarusian side thoroughly analyzes economic consequences of this step among other things. The throughput capacity of the Belarusian-Polish border is nearly at its limit. It is extremely important to evaluate the readiness of the border infrastructure to operate in new conditions when even more people and vehicles are likely to cross the border. International financial support would come in handy. The effective work of the Belarusian-Polish border benefits not only bilateral interests of Belarus and Poland but also interests of the European Union and Eurasian Economic Union member states.
The diplomat also stated that Belarusian-polish contacts in all spheres would be intensified if the European Union facilitated visa formalities for Belarusian citizens. “Belarus counts on Poland's support in the course of our talks with Brussels. I'd like to note that Belarus has unilaterally facilitated travels for citizens of many countries, including the European Union and Poland, by giving them the ability to enter the country via the airport and stay for up to 30 days without visas. Some members of the Polish delegation have availed themselves of the opportunity,” said the official.
