MINSK, 8 November (BelTA) – An office of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will become operational on 1 January 2018. The relevant agreement on the status, privileges and immunities of the ICRC in Belarus was signed at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 8 November, BelTA has learned.
The document was signed by Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei and ICRC President Peter Maurer.
“At first, the ICRC office will be quite compact and will ensure day-to-day interaction. On the instruction of the Belarus president, we agreed to draw up a plan together to outline the main avenues of our cooperation. We have already agreed which specific measures and steps will make up this plan,” Vladimir Makei remarked.
The minister pointed to a high level of Belarus-ICRC mutual understanding. He expressed confidence that this will help the sides devise an effective, specific, and result-oriented joint plan of action.
A memorandum of mutual understanding was also signed between the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Belarus Red Cross on 8 November. According to Vladimir Makei, the document has formalized the interaction which is already regular and constructive.
Today the ICRC operates in Belarus via its Moscow-based regional delegation in Russia, Belarus, and Moldova.