KGB begs for grants from West

And the Interior Affairs Ministry has submitted project proposals for maintain of the remand prison where political prisoners are kept.

At the website of the Economy Ministry a list of projects is posted, which had been presented by state institutions for donors in the framework of the International technical cooperation for the years 2012-2016, Nasha Niva reports.

In total there are 114 projects for a sum of 411.5 mln dollars. There are 13 priority projects among them for a sum of 4 million.

Among the submitted projects there are projects by the KGB (State Security Committee). Chekists are asking financing for “purchase and deliveries of technical facilities and equipment for activities in the sphere of combat with terrorism; organizing and carrying out counter-terrorism operations and other operations; holding real-time forensic examinations in the framework of the state response to terrorism acts.” The KGB asks $6 mln for this project.

The second project of the KGB is aimed at “refining system for counteraction to nuclear and radiation terrorism at the territory of Belarus.” This project is calculated as at $3.5 mln.

Three projects have been submitted by the Interior Affairs Ministry as well. 1. Counteraction to corruption in Belarus. 2. Minimization of migrations risk, related to tranborder traffic through common borders, and organizing affective interaction of relevant authorities of Belarus and Poland in this direction.

3. Backing of Belarus in improving mechanisms for rendering assistance in adaptation to life in the society to persons released from penitentiary institutions, activities of special institutions of pre-court detention, development and enhancing effectiveness of kinds of punishment alternative to restriction of freedom.

The projects are calculated as at more than $3.5 mln.

So what is it, the International Technical Cooperation program? It is one of the kinds of grant assistance given to Belarus by donors in the framework of the International Technical Assistance Program (ITA) with the aim to render assistance in social and economic reforms.

ITA donors are countries of the EU (the Great Britain, Germany, Poland and others), the US, Canada, Japan, the EU proper, the UN and other countries and structures.

Special services on numerous occasions pointed a finger of blame at the Belarusian opposition for being financed by the West, but they do not find it shameful to receive aid from international donors.