Belarus and China agree on mutual visa-free travel
Belarus and China signed an agreement on a visa-free regime for the holders of ordinary passports, Belarusian news agency BelTA reports.
The agreement was signed following the talks of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko with Chinese President Xi Jinping. On behalf of Belarus, the document was signed by Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei.
Earlier in May, the Prime Minister of Belarus Andrei Kobyakov had noted that Belarus would become one of the first countries in Europe to sign such an agreement with China. According to him, in 2017, Belarus was visited by more than 3,200 organized tourists from China, which is nearly double the number of visitors in 2016.
"According to this indicator, for the first time, guests from China surpassed the tourists from Germany and Israel traditionally visiting Belarus. More travelers are coming only from the countries with which we have a common border,” the Prime Minister noted.
According to the Chairman of the Council of the National Assembly of Belarus, Mikhail Myasnikovich, the prime motivation factor was the mutual abolition of the visa regime for up to 30 days.
Belarus has currently a visa-free regime for organized tour groups from China. Chinese citizens with a Schengen visa can use the 5-day, visa-free regime.