Activists inform Brest region residents about small border traffic

Activists of Volny Horad group carried out an information campaign about the small border traffic in villages of the Brest region and the town of Damachava.

Charter97.org learnt that dozens of colour posters appeared at bus stops, railway stations, near culture centres, shops and other crowded places. Activists note that many people didn't hear about the small border traffic, though they live just a few kilometres from the border.

Posters provoked a discussion among villagers. They say they want simpler border crossing procedures and new border checkpoints at the Belarusian-EU border.

The small border traffic is a special border crossing regime, allowing people living within 30-50 kilometres from the border to visit border areas of the neighbouring country. People living in Ukrainian near-border districts have been visiting neighbouring Polish, Hungarian and Slovak districts for several years. The work over similar Belarusian-Lithuanian and Belarusian-Polish agreements was stalled five years ago.

The small border traffic with Poland would simplify border crossing procedures for residents of Hrodna, Brest, Vaukavysk, Skidal, Zhabinka, other towns and villages. About one million people could obtain a special permit and visit Poland without a visa.

The agreement was signed in 2010, but Belarus hasn't begun to implement the arrangements. It was said that the agreement couldn't come into force for the lack of special printers for printing permits. MFA spokesman Andrei Savinykh said later that Belarus did not launch the agreement for political reasons.