By Vladimir Stepanov
The checkpoint has been launched at the Lida border guard section, now open full time (having been open previously only at weekends and used mostly by Lithuanians and Belarusians visiting relatives or cemeteries). The old, 1990s checkpoint is now transformed; its two storey building is equipped with modern telecommunication and engineering networks and a video surveillance system, with six flats available for officers and their families, in addition to garages and a dog breeding centre.
The Belarusian State Border Committee is convinced that the checkpoint will meet European standards and will prove popular once an agreement on localised border movement with Lithuania comes into force. The new checkpoint will reduce queues, while its location helps border guards promptly react to challenges.
