| 30 September 2009 
On 29-30 September the Working Group ‘Border Guard Agency Chiefs’ led by major-general Igor Rachkovskiy, Chairman of the State Border Guard Committee of Belarus, held a meeting in Minsk in the margins of the International Border Guard Conference. The meeting was devoted to the application of modern technical means and systems for border protection. Speaking at the opening session of the working group’s meeting Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Martynov stressed that Belarus affirmed its status as a bridge for legal transit on the one hand and as a reliable shield against trans-border crime on the other hand. In this context Mr.Martynov emphasized particularly the importance of cooperation between Belarus and the EU in the field of border protection. Cooperation on visa and migration issues is one of the priorities for Belarus’ participation in the ‘Eastern Partnership’ Program. In the framework of this program the first meeting of the working group for integrated border management will be held in October in Odesa. The Minister stressed that Belarus had an interest in partaking in the working group’s activities. In his address to the forum participants he noted that presidency in the Working Group ‘Border Guard Agency Chiefs’ was seen as an important instrument for expanding cooperation with the neighboring and more distant countries. The meeting was attended by chiefs of the border guard agencies of Austria, Azerbaijan, United Kingdom, Hungary, Germany, China, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Ukraine, Finland and South Korea, as well as by representatives of the European Commission, FRONTEX, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), International Organization for Migration (IOM), Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), CIS Council of Border Guard Agency Commanders and Federal Agency for Border Development of the Russian Federation. The participants of the meeting used the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the best technology and most advanced systems for border protection. Lately, we have seen significant demand for the latest technology for verification of document and biometric passports at the border. Technology for control of the so-called green border also remains important. “Technologies that enable us to monitor the borders from outer space are, of course, the way to the future”, said major-general Ishtvan Samu, Chairman of the International Border Guard Conference, responding to questions from the journalists. According to him, the technology which uses this principle is already available in the United States and Russia, however, it is now used for military purposes only. Application of space technologies for border protection will facilitate faster and easier crossing of the border making it more comfortable. The meeting participants discussed all topics related to technology. They share experience in streamlining border crossing and automating control, including at green and blue borders. Besides multilateral meetings a number of bilateral meetings took place. Border guard agency chiefs met with each other building useful contacts. “Forums like this one are a great opportunity to learn about our colleagues’ work. In the end this helps cooperation and leads to streamlining of movement of persons”, said major-general Igor Rachkovskiy commenting the outcomes of the border guard forum. He mentioned as an example that the Republic of Belarus used experience of transformation of the Border Guard Service of Hungary, particularly, the evolutionary transition of the service from conscription to professional service. Border guards of Belarus went the same way. The Concept for transformation of the border guard service provides for transition to a fully professional service in 2017. Major-general Rachkovskiy said that the FRONTEX was prepared to sign a memorandum on cooperation with the Republic of Belarus. This would give an additional impetus to effective development of the border guard service, given that cooperation includes various joint activities with the counterparts from the EU countries. Conclusion of the Inter-governmental Agreement on Border Cooperation between Belarus and Lithuania is also a matter of smoothing out technical details. Similar agreements with Latvia and Poland are planned for signature. President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko met with participants of the Working Group’s meeting after conclusion of the meeting. The head of state affirmed Belarus’ commitment to its obligations on strengthening all-European security. He stressed the importance of joint efforts of the various countries to cope with modern challenges such as terrorism, illegal proliferation of fissile materials and other. “Even large countries cannot deal with these challenges by themselves. Therefore, it is crucial that we have managed to create a common space for cooperation in the filed of border protection’, emphasized President Lukashenko.
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