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Belarus’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it has delivered a diplomatic note to Ukraine concerning the collection of wild mushrooms and berries.
Earlier on Thursday, the State Border Committee of Belarus announced that, on the instructions of Aliaksandr Lukashenka, it is prepared to facilitate access for residents of Ukraine’s border areas to the Olman Swamps nature reserve for gathering wild mushrooms and berries.
The Foreign Ministry has now delivered a note with the relevant proposals to Ukraine’s Chargé d’Affaires Ivan Novitsky.
“The Belarusian side is taking steps to organize a seasonal simplified entry procedure to the Republic of Belarus for Ukrainian citizens living in border areas so that they may gather wild mushrooms and berries on our territory.
The State Border Committee of Belarus is ready to organize simplified border crossings through three crossing points: Mutvitsa, Khinichev and Selishche.
These are purely practical matters. People who for many years have gathered mushrooms and berries in the Almany Swamps national landscape reserve in Stolin district of Brest region will have the opportunity to do so again this season,” the ministry said.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Ruslan Varankou stressed that the initiative is not a political gesture.
“This is a practical proposal dictated by everyday realities and made in the interests of ordinary people living in border areas. The forest is an important source of support for their households. We understand this and are offering a well-established mechanism that allows people to preserve their customary way of life without creating artificial barriers.
We are awaiting a response from the Ukrainian side.
We are convinced that even under the current difficult circumstances, such steps are a normal practice of good-neighbourly relations,” he added.