SMORGON. Oct 8 (Interfax-AVN) - Law enforcement will be given priority in the current reform of the Belarusian border guard service, Igor Rachkovsky, the head of the State Border Guard Committee, has said.
"The border was used as a barrier in Soviet times. All those arriving would be suspected of spying and those leaving the country would be viewed as potential dissidents. We are now departing from the military component and switching to law enforcement," he said.
"The border service must guarantee security to citizens of all countries. Flows of travelers must not be curbed at the border," Rachkovsky said.
The task for the border guards today is to combat illegal migration, human trafficking, illicit drugs and terrorism, he said.