Belarus and Lithuania signed an agreement on the procedure for mutual travel of residents of border areas

October 20, Minsk / BelTA /. An intergovernmental agreement on the procedure for mutual travel of residents of the border areas of Belarus and Lithuania was signed today in Minsk in the presence of the presidents of the two countries, BelTA correspondent reports. The foreign ministers of Belarus and Lithuania put their signatures under the document. "This is a landmark event for both countries," Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko emphasized during a briefing following the talks. "In the near future, hundreds of thousands of residents of the border regions of Belarus and Lithuania will be granted the right to cross the state border in a simplified manner," he noted. "The intensification of personal contacts is an important factor in the further development not only of humanitarian and economic ties between the regions, but also of Belarusian-Lithuanian relations as a whole." In turn, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė noted that simplifying the border crossing procedure will not lead to an increase in contraband flows. According to her, this agreement is primarily aimed at enabling people living in the border regions of Belarus and Lithuania to move freely and communicate with each other. The cost of a long-term visa will be 20 euros, which is three times cheaper than before. As Belarusian Foreign Minister Sergei Martynov explained to a BelTA correspondent, the agreement signed today will affect up to one and a half million people in approximately a 50-kilometer strip on each side of the border. "This is a very big step forward. We believe that this will not only mean broader opportunities for people's contacts, which is important in itself, but will also stimulate economic turnover," he noted. -0-