Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 20 June (BelTA) – All in all, Belarus and the European Union have approved the agreement on readmission, BelTA learned from Alexei Begun, Head of the Citizenship and Migration Department of the Belarusian Interior Ministry.

Consultations of experts took place at premises of the Belarusian Interior Ministry on 20 June. The experts discussed the draft Belarus-EU agreement on readmission. Representatives of Belarusian government agencies and a delegation of the Directorate General for Migration and Home Affairs of the European Commission took part in the consultations.

Participants of the consultations agreed the text of the agreement on the whole. The provisions concerning the transition period, during which Belarus will not receive third-country citizens or stateless persons, who are subject to readmission, were preserved.

The transition period will be used to create the necessary infrastructure, including accommodation centers for illegal migrants, as part of an international technical project, which is slated for implementation in 2017-2022.

BelTA reported earlier that a center for the temporary accommodation of illegal migrants will be built in Belarus. Building the center is part of the international technical aid project, which is expected to cost about €7 million. The project is going through the intrastate approval process now.