President Alexander Lukashenko has approved a draft Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Belarus and the Council of Ministers of Ukraine on visa-free trips of citizens as the basis for further talks. The related Decree was signed by the Belarusian President on 2 April.

Belarusian Premier Sergei Sidorsky has been authorised to hold the talks and sign the agreement. At present, trips of Belarusian and Ukrainian citizens are regulated by the Agreement on Visa-Free Entry of Citizens of the Republic of Belarus to Ukraine and Citizens of Ukraine to the Republic of Belarus of 17 December 1992.

Unlike the effective agreement, the draft of the new one sets forth a list of documents eligible for entry, exit, transit and stay of citizens of one signatory state in the territory of the other signatory state visa-free; it also sets forth the procedure of organising trips for underage citizens, as well as procedure of bringing back home citizens who have lost their identification documents.

The draft agreement provides for relieving citizens of one signatory state from the need to register in competent bodies of the other signatory state for the period of thirty days providing they have a migration card.