Фото: podlaski.strazgraniczna.pl
Belarus will agree to reopen the Bobrowniki and Kuznica border checkpoints on the Belarusian-Polish frontier only when it is ready to do so, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ruslan Varankou said on Friday.
Belarus believes that Poland and Lithuania cannot unilaterally decide to resume the operation of border crossings.
“It is not for the Prime Minister of Poland, and even less so for Lithuania, to decide when the Bobrowniki and Kuznica border checkpoints will resume operations. Nevertheless, we take note of their statements and consider it necessary to clearly state our principled position. A border is a complex engineering, technical, and organizational system. Any changes to its operation require thorough bilateral preparation. Belarus will agree to reopen its side of the border only when it is fully ready — in terms of infrastructure, personnel, and, most importantly, security,” Varankou said.
He added that the resumption of border checkpoint operations cannot and will not be regulated by unilateral decisions. “We will adhere to the same approach in our interaction with the Lithuanian side, which recently imposed restrictions on the Belarusian-Lithuanian border,” he said.
The Foreign Ministry believes that reopening the border requires dialogue and firm agreements.
“Restoring operations is also impossible without establishing a professional dialogue between the competent services. We expect a responsible approach from the Polish side: any agreements reached must be stable and reliable,” the spokesman said.
Varankou criticized neighboring countries for closing borders without notice.
“Citizens and businesses cannot become hostages to situations where decisions on border closures are made outside legal frameworks and without prior notification. This concerns not only Belarusians, Poles, or Lithuanians, but also citizens of other European Union member states, for whom the Belarusian-Polish and Belarusian-Lithuanian borders are the eastern frontier of the EU,” he said.
The ministry stressed that reopening the border requires coordinated action by both sides.
“As Polish Foreign Minister Mr. Radoslaw Sikorski himself said, it takes two to tango. The Belarusian side has long been playing its part clearly and consistently. Now we are waiting for our neighbors to finally learn theirs,” Varankou said.
Poland earlier announced its readiness to reopen the Bobrowniki and Kuznica checkpoints on the Belarusian border in mid-November. On Friday, barriers began to be dismantled at Kuznica.