The country’s stand on introducing single Belarus-Russia visa space has not changed, Dzmitry Mironchyk, spokesman for the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Thursday.
Belarus and Russia will need time to secure tighter cooperation on visa affairs.
“The enhancement of interaction is a comprehensive and difficult process, given the differences of visa regimes with third countries. These issues cannot be harmonized overnight or even within a year. It is essential to engage our foreign partners,” state-run news agency BelTA quotes Dzmitry Mironchyk as saying.
The visa policy not only regulates the entry of foreign citizens to the territory of Belarus, the official stressed. The Belarusian side also does its best to facilitate the trips of Belarusian nationals abroad.
“Therefore, when revising our visa policy and harmonizing it with the policy of Russian partners, we must be sure that the travel mode will not worsen for our citizens. It is also important to work towards the easing of visa requirements or the abolition of visas,” the spokesman for the Foreign Ministry explained.
As it was reported on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said after his meeting with Aliaksandr Lukashenka that Belarus and Russia intended to create a single visa space. According to him, Russia and Belarus are expected to sign an agreement on mutual recognition of visas issued to foreign nationals.
