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Cargo border-crossing time on Russia-Lithuania border grows over lack of customs officers

Governor of the Russian most westerly Kaliningrad region Nikolai Tsukanov expressed concern

NOVO-OGAREVO, October 9 (Itar-Tass) - Governor of the Russian most westerly Kaliningrad region Nikolai Tsukanov is concerned that the cargo border-crossing time on the Russian-Lithuanian border had increased over the lack of border guards and customs officers at the border checkpoint Mamonovo-Gzhekhotki.

At a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin the governor has raised again the problems on the border with Lithuania. The president asked to dwell on the situation at this border checkpoint.

“The customs service just lacks working capacity, they check thoroughly, as far as I understand, within the effective legislation, I inspected it and went to the border myself. We just spend more time on it. Meanwhile, Lithuanian customs officers have checked us before in the same careful way, and Polish partners check us so from time to time,” the governor of Kaliningrad Region said.

Meanwhile, he noted that there are some risks now, “because we lack border guards and customs officers and the border-crossing time - unloading and loading - went up in our direction and in the opposite direction.” Business people file claims to Tsukanov that they cannot deliver the cargoes from the region quickly over the delay on the border.

Speaking on socio-economic situation and development of Kaliningrad Region, the governor noted that ten kindergartens had been built in the region this year. “The salary in the city of Kaliningrad and in the region is the same: doctors receive an average of 35,000 roubles ($1,000), teachers - an average of 26,000 roubles ($805). In principle, this is higher than in the economic sector, so, we fulfilled your decrees completely,” Tsukanov assured the president about the issue. Putin demanded that this level should not be reduced by the end of this year.

The regional governor stated that this year “the mortality and birth rates are getting closer to each other” for the first time, the mortality rate is falling, the birth rate is growing actively. In his words, a new highly technological heart surgery centre and a perinatal centre promote this tendency.

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