English

Minsk regrets UK visa denials for Chernobyl children

The Belarusian foreign ministry regrets the UK authorities' decision to deny visas to a group of Belarusian children, Andrey Savinykh, spokesman for the ministry, told reporters in Minsk on July 15, as quoted by BelaPAN.

The children, who reside in Chernobyl-affected areas, were to travel to the Isle of Wight for a health break arranged by British charities but the UK Border Agency rejected the visa applications over their safety concerns.

Mr. Savinykh stressed that the trip had been organized by UK-based charities and the "program of their stay in Great Britain was well-organized." "I want to stress that this decision is exclusively and fully the right of the British side and one may not make any official complaints about the subject," Mr. Savinykh said.

The spokesman said that the incident should not be contrasted with the European Union's call for simplifying visa rules for Belarusian citizens, saying that "these two processes are not connected."

Minsk "is pinning hopes on the successful progress of the process of streamlining visa formalities for Belarusian citizens," he said. "We are ready for this process and ready for constructive cooperation with our European partners," he noted.