MINSK, 20 October (BelTA) – An intergovernmental agreement on local border traffic of the citizens of Belarus and Lithuania has been signed in the presence of the presidents of the two states in Minsk on 20 October, BelTA has learnt.
The document was signed by the foreign ministers of Belarus and Lithuania.
“It is a landmark event for the both countries,” Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said at the briefing following the talks. “Soon it will become much easier for hundreds of thousands of citizens of the border zones of Belarus and Lithuania to cross the state border. The intensification of personal contacts is an important factor behind the development of humanitarian and economic links between the regions and Belarus-Lithuania relations in general,” Alexander Lukashenko said.
Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite, in turn, noted that the agreement will not lead to the increase in contraband flow. According to her, the agreement is mainly aimed to enable people living in the border areas of Belarus and Lithuania to move and meet freely. The long-term visa for them will cost ?20, three times cheaper than before.
Foreign Minister of Belarus Sergei Martynov told the BelTA correspondent that up to 1.5 million people living within 50 kilometers from the state border on the either side will be entitled to the terms offered by the agreement. “It is a very big step forward. We believe this will not only encourage personal contacts, but also scale up economic cooperation,” he said.
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