‘Principles of friendship and good neighbourliness’. Belarus has stated that it is prepared to allow Ukrainians into its forests to pick mushrooms and berries
This is stated in a press release from the Belarusian Border Committee.
As noted in the statement, this was ordered by the self-proclaimed leader of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko.
“Belarus, guided by the principles of friendship and good neighbourliness and taking into account the needs of ordinary people, on the instructions of the President of the Republic of Belarus, is working on mechanisms that will allow Ukrainian citizens to visit border areas and, in keeping with a long-standing tradition, to pick mushrooms and berries in pre-designated locations,” the statement reads.
Thus, border guards are reportedly ready to facilitate “seasonal” simplified crossings for Ukrainians into the Belarusian “Olmanskie Bogs” nature reserve, which is situated on the border between Ukraine’s Rivne Oblast and Belarus’s Brest Oblast.
The committee states that this practice has been in place for several years now due to “the interest of residents in the border regions of the neighbouring country”. Belarus has indicated that Ukrainians will be able to cross the border under a simplified procedure at the ‘Mutvytsia’, ‘Khinichev’ and ‘Selyshche’ checkpoints, heading towards the Ukrainian villages of Drozdyn, Berezove and Poznan in the Rivne region.
They also stated that they had already forwarded the relevant information to the Ukrainian side.
Against this backdrop, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine reported that it had not yet received any notifications from Belarus, and that even if it did, it would not agree to this, as it is dangerous to be in the border area.
“We are not in contact with the Belarusian border guards. The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine has received nothing from them. Nor has it received anything through other channels. Moreover, Ukraine will not agree to this, as it is a dangerous border, and entry into a country that supports a state sponsor of terrorism is impossible,” said Andriy Demchenko, head of the State Border Guard Service, to ‘Ukrainska Pravda’.
He added that border guards are currently not recording any attempts to breach the border for the purpose of gathering wild berries and mushrooms, and that the border between the two countries continues to be reinforced. At the same time, Demchenko warns Ukrainians against crossing the border, as there “they may be subjected to pressure or influence”.
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