Events

MINSK, 22 October (BelTA) – The House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus ratified the Belarusian-Greek intergovernmental agreement on international passenger and cargo road transportation on 22 October, BelTA has learned.

According to Transport and Communications Minister of Belarus Anatoly Sivak, the document will provide additional positive prerequisites for increasing the volume of transportation and cargo towards Greece and its neighbors. An opportunity for additional quota for hauls to and from third countries provided by Greece is of special significance. It will promote the growth in the export of road transport services, he added. The agreement is needed to regulate the issues related to international road hauls between the two countries as well as transit through their territory.

MPs also ratified a document on amendments to the agreement between the Government of Belarus and the Swiss Federal Council on international passenger and cargo road transportation.

The number of trips of Belarusian haulers across the Swiss territory exceeds the number of trips of Swiss carriers through Belarus 320 times on average. This makes the introduction of the permit-free system extremely profitable, which is the main purpose of this document. Thus, the document provides for mutual exemption from permits for bilateral, transit transport of goods and their transport to or from third countries, which means a decrease in the budget revenue from the issue of permits for travel across the territories of foreign states. But this will be offset by an increase in the export of transport services of Belarus.

The House of Representatives also ratified a protocol to terminate the agreement between the governments of Belarus and Russia on the transit of goods moved between the customs authorities of the two countries.