Russian frontier guards do not know anything about the common Russian and Belarusian “list of people forbidden to go abroad”

A common Belarus-Russia data base of people forbidden to go abroad is unlikely to be introduced soon. The Belarusian Border Committee notes that it may be ready next year. Russian border services have not even heard about “the common list”. Belarusians forbidden to leave the country are still able to do it from Russia.
Let us remind you that the information about a common data base of people forbidden to go aboard being prepared by Belarus and Russia appeared on the Internet yesterday. The deputy head of the department on citizenship and migration Alyaksey Byahun confirmed the information but refused to comment on the terms in an interview with ERB:

“The legal base exists, technical work is being conducted in connection with the issue at the moment but I am not ready to say when it will be finished”.

According to Alyaksey Byahun, Russia “has practically completed its list” and the data exchange format is being discussed now. The reaction of the border service of the FSS of Russia and the Federal Migration Service seems rather strange in this context. They do not know anything about “the common list”.

ERB: Belarus and Russia are preparing a common list of people forbidden to go abroad. At what point is the elaboration of the data base now?

FSS Border Service: I do not have the information. I do not even know anything about it.

Federal Migration Service: I have never heard about it so I cannot answer the question. There is a possibility that we simply do not know about it but they usually inform us about such things.

Some Belarusian citizens forbidden to leave the country can do it from Russia now because there is no common data base. They will not be detained at the Russian border. Only those who have committed grave crimes will not be able to use the opportunity, says the deputy head of the department on migration and citizenship Alyaksey Byahun:

“Yes, they can go to Russia. However, some categories of citizens will not be able to go to a third country from Russia anyway because there is a number of other ways of tracking them”.

Why are we waiting for “the common list” while there is still “a loophole” for Belarusian citizens forbidden to go abroad? Wouldn’t it be easier to send the Belarusian list to Russian frontier guards? Alyaksey Byahun explained us why it was not possible:

“The countries have mutual responsibilities. We can give them our list. But the Russian Federation will demand that we should fulfill our responsibilities too”.

According to the official, that is why the data exchange format is being elaborated now.

The head of the press service of the Belarusian Border Committee Alyaksandr Tsishchanka says that the information exchange should be automated. It is rather difficult so the terms are not clear now:

“It is impossible to denote the terms because technical parameters should be remade first. Technical issues should be elaborated to solve the problem – how it should be sent, counted and used…

The ways to do it are being elaborated and changed. It is too early to say that the data bases have been unified and there is no loophole anymore”.

According to Alyaksandr Tsishchanka, the main problem is that Russian border services are not automated. The size of Russia should also be taken into account. It took us a whole year to automate all Belarusian border check-points.