Russia, Belarus to sign agreement on mutual recognition of visas by end of year - Rapota
MINSK. Nov 21 (Interfax) - Russia and Belarus will sign an agreement on the mutual recognition of visas by the end of this year, the State Secretary of the Russia-Belarus Union State, Grigory Rapota, told the press in Minsk on Wednesday.
"The High-Level Group [of the Union State's Council of Ministers] has decided to sign it [the agreement] by the New Year. Let's wait for the results," Rapota said.
Regarding the possibility that an international checkpoint will open on the border between Russia and Belarus, he said, "There are no decisions to that effect."
"A thorough and rather intensive process is underway to coordinate the agreement on the mutual recognition of visas. A decision on organizational measures to facilitate this process will be made by the parties involved: the foreign ministries and others," Rapota said.
"I can only assure you that no restrictions on the free movement of citizens of Russia and Belarus in each other's territory will be imposed, and that everything possible will be done to provide similar freedom of movement to citizens of third countries traveling with either Russian or Belarusian visas," he said.