Belarus forecasts increase in illegal migration to Poland

Belarus says tt expects an increased number of illegal migrants to Poland, Latvia and Lithuania after these new EU member countries join the Schengen visa agreement, the Russian daily Izvestia quotes Col. Yury Fiodaraw, the deputy chief of international law department at the Belarus's Border Control Committee. On January 1, 2008, the Baltic countries and Poland are set to enter the Schengen zone. "Our analysts say that we could expect the growth of illegal migration in the direction of Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. Having crossed the EU's external border, an illegal migrant can end up in any other country of the European Union", he said.

Col. Fiodaraw stressed that the Belarusian law-enforcement agencies were preparing themselves for this development in collaboration with the Russian and European colleagues, reports Itar-Tass news agency.