MINSK, June 7 (Sputnik) - The Belarusian Interior Ministry maintains regular contact with its Russian colleagues over the temporary visa-free regime allowing foreign citizens heading for the FIFA World Cup in Russia to enter Belarus without a visa, Belarusian Interior Minister Igor Shunevich said on Thursday.
"We're maintaining regular contact with our Russian colleagues. They also have situation centers in the Interior Ministry and in the host cities. We're in direct contact with each of these centers through our officers that have been sent there," Shunevich told journalists.
He added that fans, who had already benefited from the visa-free regime, had committed no violations on the border so far.
A temporary mutual visa recognition agreement was signed by Minsk and Moscow in May, allowing foreign citizens with Fan IDs to enter Belarus without a visa.
A Fan ID grants its holders a visa-free entry to Russia during the World Cup, with fans being able to enter the country 10 days before the first match and stay until 10 days after the last game.
The Belarusian Interior Ministry expects more than 150,000 supporters from the European Union to pass through the country on their way to the World Cup and back.
Russia's first-ever FIFA World Cup will take place between June 14 and July 15 at 12 stadiums across 11 cities. The teams are set to play in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Saransk, Rostov-on-Don and Yekaterinburg.
Related Articles

City 'blocked Dutch move for Arzani'

Kruse hits back at online trolls
