Russia’s blackmailing Belarus with closing the boarder :: Charter'97 :: News

The oil and gas war between Russia and Belarus that broke out in late 2007, yesterday passed officially beyond the frame of a specifically economic conflict, the Vremia Novostey writes today. The power structures represented by deputy director of the Federal Security Service (FSB)-head of boarder guard of the FSB Victor Pronichev got involved into the conflict of the “union state “members. In his yesterday’s speech at the Council of Federation ,quite of a sudden, he attracted the senators’ attention to the transparency of the Russian and Belarusian border, calling it a “loophole” for terrorists.

Mr. Pronichev didn’t dwell on how to close the “loophole”, neither he said a word about the oil and gas war or any other confrontation between the two countries. However, it was very obvious what he was driving at – “ the alliance relations” with Belarus are becoming threatening to Russia, and not only in the economic but in general national sense. Thus, the issue of expediency of the “union state “further existence even in its today’s ”underdone” form has been raised. Actually, the common custom’s area and unguarded borderline between Russia and Belarus have still been one of the few steps made towards the two countries integration within the union.

The news of an insecure border with Belarus was announced by Mr. Pronichev in his speech at the Council of Federation during the government hour dedicated to the Russian border security. The deputy director of the FSB also pointed out a number of problems, among these are active actions of poachers in the Caspian region and Far East, withdrawal of the population from borderline territories and so on. But judging by Mr. Pronichev`s tone the situation at the borderline with Belarus was, at that moment, the most aggravated issue. “Under the condition of transparency of the Russian and Belarusian borderline which is practically not guarded the “loophole” has appeared for third countries’ nationals to penetrate the territory of
Russia, ”declared Mr. Pronichev to the senators. “Boarder guards have recently prevented dozens of attempts of illegal penetration of Georgia nationals to Russia from Belarus. We do not exclude the possibility of this channel employment by terrorists and trans-boarder criminals. Head of the boarder guard also stressed that Belarus had a visa-free mode with the states with which Russia had a visa mode (for example, Georgia belongs to such states).

It is to be mentioned, that the first step towards a closer relationship between Russia and Belarus was made in1995, when presidents of the countries signed an agreement on the custom’s union. The same year Lukashenka and the- then Russia’s prime minister dug out the borderline pole. In April 1996 the treaty on the unity of Russia and Belarus was signed, and in 1999 – the treaty on the union state and the program for its implementation. Moreover, afterwards, in the frame of this program heads of the federal border guard service of Russia and state committee of border guard troops of Belarus regularly issued joint directives on the Russian and Belarusian state boarder guarding.

In Minsk Mr. Pronichev’s utterance was regarded as Moscow’s another step in the bilateral conflict, but this time, not in economic but in a political sphere.

According to Anatol Lyabedzka, leader of the Belarusian Civil Party “Quiet period at the Russian- Belarusian front was temporary, and now a new advancement in the information sphere was made: every day someone declares something and this must impress the opponent. A hint was made to the Belarusian authorities that if they are eager to impose rent payment for land under the pipelines, Moscow may impose elements of boarderline monitoring , which would be tangible to both countries’ nationals. “