GRODNO, 22 November (BelTA) - The vast majority of refugees hope for the opening of a humanitarian corridor, Grodno Oblast Governor Vladimir Karanik told the media on 20 November, BelTA has learned.
"We have just held a meeting of all stakeholders in the transport and logistics center. We discussed safety and security measures, talked about provision of meals, other life support measures. At the moment, there are no unresolved issues," the governor said. “The consequences of, let's say, of the recent spontaneous events on the border have been cleared. The border crossing has been retuned almost to its original state: we just need to restore the fence in some places.”
As for the future of the refugees, it depends on the decision of the ministries of foreign affairs of the EU countries, according to Vladimir Karanik.
"A commission on the part of both Belarus and the EU is working. The vast majority of refugees hope for the opening of a humanitarian corridor. Our task here is to provide them with everything necessary," the governor said.
According to him, security in the transport and logistics center has been strengthened. "We have put together permanent patrols of employees of the Emergencies Ministry, increased the number of fire extinguishers, and mounted video surveillance," said Vladimir Karanik. “We learned that some refugees in the transport and logistics struck a deal with taxi drivers and ordered cigarettes on the internet, and then resold them to their compatriots for a price of €10 to €50 per pack. In order to stop speculations, we sent shops on wheels here. They sell the goods at the same prices as throughout the country."
