Скриншот видеозаписи
Poland’s Minister-Coordinator of Special Services Tomasz Siemoniak stressed that Warsaw is approaching relations with Minsk cautiously and calmly. He welcomed the meeting between the foreign ministers, which took place in New York.
“Of course, it is good that such meetings are taking place, because they are our neighbors, and we have our own interests. They have their own interests as well, and such meetings should be assessed in light of certain facts that have occurred in recent months. I mean the prisoner exchange, the release of Andrzej Poczobut and other important figures, which was the result of enormous efforts by our government, the authorities and all citizens. That is what happened. And the second important development is a significant reduction in migration pressure at the border”, he said, commenting on the meeting between Foreign Ministers Radosław Sikorski and Maksim Ryzhankou.
Siemoniak recalled that the reduction in migration pressure from Belarus was also due to security measures taken by Polish authorities, including the construction of a border barrier and the deployment of additional military, border guard and police units.
“However, we clearly note that on the Belarusian side, the number of migrants has fallen significantly, or dropped almost to zero. So this is a basis for discussion. Of course, without any particular illusions, because Polish-Belarusian relations have had their ups and downs over the past several decades, so here in Poland we approach this cautiously and calmly. However, I believe that issues such as the release of Andrzej Poczobut, his presence in Belarus and statements supporting the Union of Poles in Belarus are tangible benefits of such a policy. And I absolutely support the idea that these meetings should take place at the level of foreign ministers: not in Minsk, not in Warsaw, but in New York, where everyone can meet with everyone”, he said.
He was also asked to comment on the meeting between former political prisoner Andrzej Poczobut and U.S. presidential envoy John Coale.
Tomasz Siemoniak said that Coale had visited Belarus several days earlier, new political prisoners had been released, and the United States had made economic commitments to Minsk. He called the meeting between Poczobut and Coale symbolic because the U.S. envoy had participated in organizing the exchange that led to the journalist’s release.
“I think President Trump’s U.S. policy toward Belarus is aimed at keeping Belarus as far away from Russia as possible. This is not an easy task. However, as I have already said, when we talk about the hundreds of people who have been released, I think this has enormous value — that people such as Andrzej Poczobut and others are simply free people”, he concluded.