BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS
DATE:
21/02/2008
Belarusian Foreign Ministry Denies Building "Visa Walls"
Andrey Papou, a spokesman for the Belarusian Foreign Ministry, has dismissed as "absurd" media reports that Belarus is building "visa walls" by increasing the cost of visas for citizens of the United States and the European Union, Belapan reported on February 20. "Only not quite decent journalists or simply incompetent people can speak about 'visa walls' on our side," Papou said. He admitted that Belarus increased visa fees for citizens whose countries recently joined the Schengen zone, but he said that Belarus requires only 25 euros ($36.81) for a single-entry visa for visitors from its neighboring countries -- Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. Papou also said that Belarus no longer requires an invitation letter for EU and U.S. citizens applying for a visa, adding that neither the United States nor the European Union has taken reciprocal steps that would allow Belarusians to obtain single-entry visas without invitations. AM
Source:
http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2008/02/3-cee/cee-210208.asp
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