BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS
DATE:
16/06/2009
Belarus Tightens Customs Checks Along Russian Border
MINSK (AFP)--Belarus said Tuesday it will reinforce border controls along its frontier with Russia, likely further straining ties with its longtime ally.
"Beginning at 9:00 a.m. local time (0600 GMT) on Wednesday, Belarus is introducing reinforced customs checks on the transport of merchandise to its border with Russia," customs chief Alexander Shpilevsky told Belarus state television.
"These measures are exactly the same as those taken several years ago by the Russian customs services," Shpilevsky said. He did not provide further detail.
The Russian Foreign Ministry this week accused Belarus of behaving irrationally by boycotting a regional security summit in Moscow over a dispute about a Russian ban on Belarussian milk imports.
Russia's agriculture minister said earlier Tuesday that the two sides had reached an accord in the so-called milk war, according to RIA Novosti news agency.
Moscow is angry at moves by Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko to seek closer ties with the European Union, while Lukashenko has blasted Moscow for dragging its feet on a loan to the cash-strapped country.
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