Video: New Israeli ambassador hoping for visa-free travel deal with Belarus

Yosef Shagal, the new Israeli ambassador to Belarus, expressed hope on Wednesday that the two countries would waive the visa requirement for the other country's citizens before his tenure ended.
The Soviet-born diplomat told reporters that Belarus and Israel "were close" to the abolition of the visa requirement. "There were certain circumstances that prevented them from achieving this goal. The goal remains and in order to achieve it, we must create an appropriate economic, political and cultural background. We must secure a situation where visas would slow down the rapid development of our relations," he said.
Mr. Shagal said that Belarus' membership of the Common Economic Zone (CEZ) would not have an impact on visa-free travel talks with Israel. "Israel has a huge interest in establishing cooperation with Belarus. Belarus' membership of the CEZ makes this market even more attractive. But today it is more of a scenery. We must yet see how all of this will work," he said.