Lukashenko: System of granting citizenship to Ukrainians should be effective by late 2021

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko ordered to come to grips with the system of granting citizenship to Ukrainian migrants by the end of the year. The head of state made the statement during a meeting with representatives of the general public, experts, and mass media titled as the Big Conversation with the President on 9 August, BelTA has learned.

Addressing the head of state journalist Ksenia Lebedeva voiced a request she often heard from those who moved from Ukraine. In her television stories in various regions of Belarus, people from Ukraine often talked about a possibility to ease the procedure for obtaining citizenship and a residence permit.

“By the end of the year, everyone should be able to receive citizenship. We just need a system allowing these people to submit an application,” the president answered the question. In his opinion, the officials ‘botched this task'.

The head of state recalled that in the midst of the conflict in Ukraine, Belarus hosted thousands of displaced people who left their homeland to escape the war. "Ukrainians fled their home for a piece of bread. Some 150,000 -160,000 people from Ukraine were registered in Belarus. I issued a decree to grant all Ukrainians equal rights with Belarusians (although the opinion on this was not unanimous): schools, kindergartens (we have a significant social package) for free, at the expense of the budget,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “Many have settled here, have a home, a source of income, their children go to school and, most importantly, they value a peaceful and free country.” As for those who moved to Belarus after the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, their status will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

When asked how he views the possibility for the opponents of the authorities, who left the country for political reasons, to return to Belarus, the head of state answered: “Of course, they can. Half a million people living in Belarus do not agree with my policy. I am aware of that. There will be 510,000. If they are not rebel fighters and have not broken the law, if they were not seen with shivs and knives at the protests (and we can check this easily), we are ready to deal with each person independently. We have not expelled them and we do not forbid them to come back. They must understand that if they have committed a crime, they will be held accountable,” he said.