Events

MINSK, 8 September (BelTA) – Belarus is creating comfortable conditions for the adaptation of Ukrainian citizens who are temporarily staying in Belarus, Deputy Chairperson of the Permanent Commission on International Affairs of the House of Representatives Anna Levitskaya told BelTA while commenting on the decree “On the stay of citizens of Ukraine in the Republic of Belarus”.

Decree No.420 issued by the head of state on 30 August 2014 regulates the legal status in social and labor spheres of the citizens of Ukraine in Belarus. This shows that Belarus is creating the most comfortable conditions for the adaptation of the Ukrainian citizens who come to Belarus from the regions of Donetsk and Lugansk. “These people can enjoy almost the same social privileges as the Belarusians. Indeed, Belarus could not do otherwise. We are sister nations,” Anna Levitskaya emphasized.

According to the Belarusian legislation, for foreigners to get a job in Belarus they must have a special permission. Decree No.420 exempts Ukrainian citizens from this requirement. “Besides, employers hiring foreign specialists must pay a state duty. Now the companies that hire citizens of Ukraine are exempt from this requirement, which significantly simplifies the process of employing the Ukrainians,” Anna Levitskaya noted.

The document also simplifies the procedure of granting public welfare payments to the citizens of Ukraine, gives these people the right to preschool, secondary, and professional education on an equal basis with the Belarusians. Besides, they are exempt from payment for medical pre-employment check-ups. It is important to note that all these norms concern only the Ukrainians from Donetsk and Lugansk Oblasts who have lived in those regions for not less than a year.