Belarusian state border guard committee has been taking measures to tighten security on the border with Ukraine in view of an upsurge in attempts to smuggle weapons across the border. As the committee’s spokesman Alexander Tishchenko has told TASS, “the measures to reinforce control of the southern border are very timely and adequate to the current situation in Ukraine.”
“Paying no attention to the situation in the neighboring country, including the illegal circulation of weapons and ammunition would be wrong,” he said.
Tishchenko believes that there are solid reasons for concern over the growing threat of illegal arms trafficking across the Ukrainian-Belarusian border.
“Just recently a group was detained while trying to sell weapons to local civilians near the Belarusian border,” he said.
“Such facts have been few so far. Possibly, the measures taken in Belarus to enhance control of the border have put an effective brake on smuggling,” Tishchenko said.
He pointed out that “both countries are interested in maintaining security and preventing growth in negative trends on the common border.”
The head of the Belarusian state border guard committee said on June 18 that “the free circulation of weapons in Ukraine poses certain risks” to Belarus.
“On the Polish and Lithuanian borders we have registered no attempts at weapons smuggling. On the Ukrainian border the problem is now on the agenda. For the time being such cases are few, but they are a reality of the day,” he said.
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