Belarus looking to implement visa-free regime for citizens of neighbouring EU nations

To strengthen its relations with the European Union, Belarus is looking to introduce a visa-free regime for nearby EU countries, which will allow them to enter the country without a visa. The State Border Committee of the Republic of Belarus stated that the Belarusian side is currently considering granting citizens of neighbouring EU states, mainly Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia the right to visa-free entry, exit and stay in Belarus in the interests of strengthening good neighbourly relations and developing inbound tourism.

As per the reports of RIA Novosti, State Border Committee is working on a method that will allow the citizens to visit the border zone without a pass at the same time. An increase in the number of foreign citizens arriving from adjacent EU countries has been documented after Coronavirus restrictions on crossing the Belarusian border were lifted. Earlier, Belarus has offered visa-free entry to foreign individuals entering the country through airports for a period of up to 30 days since 2017, in order to promote tourism.

Belarus' relations with Western countries

However, Belarus' relations with a number of Western nations, particularly Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania, have worsened significantly after the presidential elections in 2020. The West refused to accept Alexander Lukashenko as Belarus's elected president, accusing the Belarusian government of election fraud and human rights violations, according to RIA Novosti. Lukashenko accused the West of intervening directly in the country's predicament. He specifically mentioned Poland, Lithuania, and Ukraine as nations from which protest operations in Belarus were planned.

Last year, Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland accused Minsk of fomenting a migration problem on the border with Belarus by increasing the number of illegal migrants from the Middle East and Africa. The allegations were officially dismissed by the Belarusian side. Belarusian border guards have also proclaimed the forcible deportation of migrants from Lithuania, Poland and Latvia to Belarusian territory on several occasions.

Belarus' role in the Ukraine war

In the meanwhile, Belarus has also been blamed for assisting the Russian Federation in its military operations in Ukraine, which began on February 24. Vladimir Putin deployed tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine from Russian and Belarusian territory, aiming to demilitarise and "denazify" Ukraine.

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