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The Swedish Migration Service is Belarus’ Important Partner in Improving Protection of Refugees The Belarusian government institutions dealing with refugees and migration are enhancing collaboration with the Swedish Migration Service. The joint efforts are aimed at Belarus' integration in the international system for refugee protection and regulation of migration. Such efforts are especially significant after Belarus joined the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and adopted the amended law «On Refugees».
Joint efforts of various government institutions enhanced by regular support provided by the UNHCR Office in Belarus have resulted in the establishment of a system for dealing with asylum seekers and refugees. As of 1 April 2004 Belarus has granted the official refugee status to 731 persons. Within a short period of time the country has succeeded to establish the system for refugee protection which largely meets the current international standards. However, increasing illegal migration and the associated approaches of Belarus to the development of the main directions of migration policy and practices for dealing with foreign citizens set up new tasks and require sustained improvement of the national system of shelter. Since 1997 the central migration authority of Sweden–the Swedish Migration Service — has actively participated in improving the system for dealing with refugees and regulation of migration in Belarus. The work is carried out within the framework of the Sedercheping process (originated from the name of the Swedish city of Sedercheping) of cross–border cooperation and bilateral collaboration. The official delegation of the Swedish Migration Service visited Minsk from 14 to 18 April to discuss with the Belarusian authorities the ways and methods of enhancing efficiency of joint efforts. The visit has a double objective: to assess the efficiency of previous activities with the special focus on the year 2003–é and to identify Belarus' needs in this area and to elaborate proposals for further collaboration between the Belarusian authorities and the Swedish Migration Service. The key issues of improving the refugee protection system, regulation of forced migration, combating illegal migration and harmonization of the Belarusian legislation and practices with the international standards have been broadly discussed at the meeting between Goran Larsson, who led the delegation of the Swedish Migration Service, Ilija Todorovich, Head of the UNHCR Office in Belarus and Lieutenant–General Aleksander Pavlovsky, Chief of the Belarusian Border Guard, senior officials of the Belarusian Ministry of Interior, Department for Humanitarian, Environmental, Research and Technical Cooperation of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Belarusian parliamentarians. Practical issues have been discussed at the working group level involving the staff of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, Ministry of Interior, Passport and Visa Service of the Ministry of Interior, the State Border Guard Committee and representatives of the refugee community and non–governmental organizations providing direct practical assistance to refugees. On 17 March the delegation of the Swedish Migration Service visited the Vitebsk–based center for temporary accommodation of asylum seekers and had a couple of meetings with the regional migration authorities and senior officials of the regional executive committee. On18 March the members of the delegation participated in the ceremony of the official opening of the center for temporary accommodation of asylum seekers in the Minsk–2 International Airport. The ceremony was attended by Ilija Todorovich, Major–General Nikolay Kokhan, Deputy Chief of the Belarusian Border Guard, directors of the airport and the center for temporary accommodation, other officials and journalists.
The participants of the meetings agreed on the need for coordination of joint efforts for further development of the Sedercheping process that would allow to enhance coordination in addressing cross–border problems of the neighboring countries and to ensure efficient management of migration processes in the region. The Belarusian authorities, the Swedish Migration Service and the UNHCR Office reaffirmed genuine interest in further harmonization with the international standards of the migration legislation and practices. The meetings once again demonstrated the role of the Swedish Migration Service as Belarus' important partner which has been providing assistance in improving the refugee protection system in the recent years.
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