RUSSIANS BEGAN TO TRAVEL ABROAD THROUGH THE TERRITORY OF BELARUS

It seems that Belarus can become a secret passage to the Turkish coast for many Russians. This is the conclusion made by the experts and based on the words of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Sergei Lavrov.

Lavrov, commenting on the possibility of Russian tourists’ departure from the airport in Minsk, said that the Russian authorities could not forbid the citizens to use this opportunity.

We should recall that officially the borders between Russia and Belarus were closed in March. However, this did not affect freight transport, which continues to run between the countries. Recently, the Russian authorities have eased up on the restrictions caused by the pandemic by permitting border crossings for the citizens working under a rotation system.

As a result, the possibility to spend a vacation in Turkey, which receives tourists through the airport in Belarus, is the only chance for Russians to relax abroad.

The Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, who used a similar “corridor” to visit Belarus and Serbia, has actually showed how to use this opportunity in conditions of the borders closure. At the same time, Lavrov noted that Russians should be careful and should not forget about common sense. Given that the head of the department could not give an unambiguous answer to the question of when exactly the borders would be open, the situation with common sense may now turn out to be very ambiguous.  

As far as back in May, Lavrov expressed his opinion to the media that the pandemic had globally changed the situation in the tourism sector – it would be difficult for ordinary citizens to travel around the world. At the same time, the Minister promised that exit visas to control such movements of Russian citizens abroad would not be introduced. However, it will take time to restore destroyed international relations.

In June, the head of the Government of Russia have already announced the decision of the authorities to open the borders for those who go abroad to study, work, to treat themselves or relatives. How many citizens will be able to take the advantage of such a decision is not known yet. Now many people can take advantage of the “corridor” through the territory of the fraternal state.  

According to Vladimir Semashko, the Ambassador of Belarus to the Russian Federation, the full opening of the borders between our countries can be expected in late July or early August.

The Belarusian diplomat made such a statement, referring to the statistics on the dynamics of the spread of infection in both countries.