MINSK, May 11 (AVN) - Russian and Belarussian border guard agencies will go on with the joint target-oriented programme for infrastructure development on the borders with Lithuania and Latvia, Chairman of the Belarussian State Border Troops Committee Alexander Pavlovsky said on Thursday.
A corresponding decision was taken by the board of the Russian-Belarussian border guard committee at its ninth session which took place outside Minsk earlier in the day, Pavlovsky told the Military News Agency.
Russia and Belarus have been yearly allocating for these purposes RUR20m (USD706,340) each in the past four years, Pavlovsky went on. The programme for 2001-2007 envisages further increase of the expenses to RUR100m (USD3.53m) a year. The money will be taken from the Russian-Belarussian union budget, he added.
The parties have also decided to propose drafting of a joint border infrastructure development programme for the period until 2015 to the Supreme State Council of the Union, Konstantin Totsky, Russian border guards chief, said. The programme implies infrastructure development not only in the Baltic region, but also in other territories where there is a threat to border security of the union state.
Besides, Russia and Belarus agreed to enhance co-operation in technical maintenance of their border troops. They will work out a unified defence order for production of communication means, alarms, passport control devices and vehicles. The order will be implemented by Russian and Belarussian enterprises.
The board upheld amendments to the Union Treaty of Russia and Belarus concerning joint efforts for protection of the Belarussian border. The amendments had been proposed by experts of the two countries. Before July 15, they will be fully prepared for approval and introduced to the Union's Council of Ministers.
In addition to that, the parties signed a plan for implementation of the border control development system with the final aim in creation of a unified border control system.