A. Lukashenko approved the Decision on conducting state border policy and ensuring border security in 2012

28 February, Minsk /Vladimir Matveev - BELTA/. The Head of State Alexander Lukashenko approved the Decision on conducting the state border policy and ensuring the border security of the Republic of Belarus in 2012, reports a BELTA correspondent. Opening the meeting on this issue, which was attended by the heads of the country's law enforcement agencies, the President noted that the event was not held in such a composition by chance. "This is due, firstly, to the special significance of ensuring border security in modern conditions. Secondly, to the need for effective coordination of the work of various departments in fulfilling this task. And thirdly, to the requirements for improving the quality of the activities of the State Border Committee itself," said the Head of State. On behalf of Alexander Lukashenko, the State Secretariat of the Security Council studied individual areas of operational and service activities and processes occurring in the border agency. "The results of the work have been reported to me. Frankly, not everything that happens in the border service bodies meets the increased requirements of our time. The nature of the existing shortcomings indicates that the developing operational situation is not assessed deeply enough and, as a consequence, the main tasks of future activities are not determined quite correctly," said the President. Alexander Lukashenko asked the head of the Belarusian border agency, Igor Rachkovsky, to report on what challenges and threats at the border pose the greatest danger to the state and what is envisaged for their neutralization and prevention. "In turn, the heads of law enforcement agencies present at the meeting should assess how reasonably the threats in this area are identified, and also specify the degree of their participation in the protection of the state border," the President noted. He also added that he would like to hear from the rapporteur about how it is planned to improve the coordination of actions to ensure border security, what practical steps will be taken to increase the effectiveness of state border protection, and what problems and unresolved issues exist in this activity.

"Please do not forget that the border agency is not just a law enforcement body. It is a body that is located on the perimeter of that piece of land, the sovereignty of which we are obliged to ensure. How ready are our military personnel to perform this task?" – Alexander Lukashenko raised the question. The Head of State emphasized that he expects objective assessments of the situation and concrete proposals for improving the entire set of measures in the sphere of state border security from all participants of the meeting. As Igor Rachkovsky reported, in general, in 2011, the border security agencies of Belarus fulfilled the tasks set. He named the participation of border service agencies, within their competence, in the implementation of targeted tasks to prevent the destabilization of the situation in the country under the influence of external and internal destructive forces as one of the key features in ensuring the national security of the state in 2011. In 2011, the State Border Committee continued the practical implementation of a set of measures aimed at ensuring border security in accordance with the requirements of the legislation. By the end of the year, an increase in migration activity of citizens of several countries was recorded – the number of border violations increased by 40.6% (from 564 to 793). 42.4% of the total number of border violators were detained in the Baltic direction. In addition, 20 organizers and facilitators of illegal transit migration were detained, seven channels were suppressed, and about 20 potential channels of illegal migration were identified and are being developed. The work of volunteer detachments was further developed, with the participation of which 876 violators of border legislation were detained. As part of the protection of the state's economic interests at the border, the border service agencies, jointly with interacting bodies, detained goods and materials worth over Br79 billion, which is 93% more than in 2010. In the Ukrainian and Lithuanian directions, the most active in this regard, 32.8% and 26% of goods and materials were detained, respectively.

Border guard agencies also continued to effectively combat the smuggling of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, illicit trafficking of weapons and ammunition, and other unlawful manifestations. Measures taken to improve the protection of the "green" border have reduced the total number of border law violations by 13.8%. At the same time, the number of permits issued to foreign citizens for the border zone has more than doubled.

The general trend of growth in 2011 for passenger traffic - by 2.3% and transport flows - by 0.7% was maintained. -0-

BELTA