MFA Belarus hands over note on simplified access to Olmany swamps to Ukraine

Ruslan Varankou, press secretary for the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reported that the Belarusian side sent a note to Ivan Novitsky, Ukraine's Chargé d'Affaires, proposing to organize a simplified border crossing procedure for Ukrainians wishing to collect wild plants in Belarus, sputnik.by reports.

He noted that Belarus is taking measures aimed at organizing seasonal simplified entry into Belarus for Ukrainian citizens residing at the border for the purpose of collecting wild plants within the republic.

According to Varankou, the State Border Committee of Belarus is ready to organize simplified border crossings through three checkpoints: Mutvitsa, Khinichev, and Selishche.

"We're talking about purely practical matters. People who have been picking mushrooms and berries in the Olmany swamps national nature reserve in the Stolin district of the Brest region for many years will be able to do so this season as well," Varankou emphasized.

Belarusian diplomats handed over a note with the relevant proposals to the Ukrainian representative.

The Foreign Ministry's press secretary emphasized that Belarus's initiative is not a political gesture, but a rational, practical proposal in the interests of ordinary people living in the border area.

According to the Foreign Ministry's press secretary, forests provide significant household support for residents of the border area.

"We understand this and are proposing a well-established mechanism that will allow them to maintain their traditional way of life without erecting artificial barriers. We await a response from the Ukrainian side," Varankou added.

The Foreign Ministry is convinced that, even in the current difficult circumstances, such steps are a normal practice of good-neighborly relations.