Фото: ГТК
Belarusian Foreign Minister Maksim Ryzhankou has urged Western partners to seize the moment and establish a stable channel of interaction with the East. He made the statement during a visit to the Brest and Kazlovichy border checkpoints on the Belarus–Poland border. According to him, the decision must be made by the West, as each day of the current situation brings Minsk closer to the “Eurasian vector.”
Ryzhankou noted that Belarusian checkpoints are operating efficiently, and the country is ready to quickly handle large volumes of cargo and process more passengers, but said that “the ball is on our partners’ side.”
The minister also highlighted the unstable global situation.
“A corridor runs through Belarus that is currently very stable, with checkpoints equipped with the latest technology and capable of handling large volumes of cargo within a day. Of course, I very much hope that our neighbours will take a rational approach and understand that now is the right time to make use of this. It will benefit both them and us,” he said, as quoted by BelTA.
He also recalled that it was Western countries that introduced sanctions limiting transport opportunities.
“If they want to take advantage of the current moment and indeed create, through themselves, through Poland and Belarus, a good, more reliable, and broader channel of interaction along the West–East line, we are certainly ready for this. It is a very выгодная тема. We are waiting for their actions. They must show initiative, because they were the ones who initiated all the restrictions,” he said.
It should be noted that four months have passed since Poland reopened two checkpoints on the border with Belarus. During this time, 361,000 people and 118,000 vehicles have crossed through them.
“So far, we see only a willingness on their part to develop a technical dialogue at the level of border representatives and to resolve certain individual issues. But you understand that to resolve such large-scale matters, to return to the normal (pre-pandemic) functioning of checkpoints and to reopen those that are currently closed, more serious consultations at a higher level are needed. We are ready for this and call on the Polish side. The ball is on their side,” he added.
Ryzhankou said that time is not on the side of Western partners.
“Because every day of this situation brings Belarus closer to the Eurasian vector,” he said.
The minister recalled that many Belarusians used to travel to Western Europe for holidays, shopping, and excursions.
“Given the border regime established by our neighbours, various restrictions, and constant ‘surprises’ — the border may close or stop processing for half a day — people spend enormous amounts of time and cannot reach airports or booked hotels on time. There is a major reorientation of both passenger and cargo flows. We are forced to look for alternative corridors,” he said.
“In fact, the European vector is our shared one. But what is happening today? It is easier for a resident of Brest to board a charter flight and travel east for a holiday than to stand at the border. There are no huge queues, but there is also little desire to travel west for such purposes,” he added.
According to Ryzhankou, by restricting movement through Belarus, EU countries are isolating themselves from China.
“By closing themselves off, they are closing themselves off from everything beyond us — from China, Vietnam, India, Central Asia. They impose sanctions on Belarus, but we will manage in this vast space without them. For them, however, given the geopolitical situation, ensuring security, transport logistics, and the delivery of goods will be much more difficult,” he said.