An interview with Polish Ambassador Henryk Litwin

Fal Putiowy and Valera Sauko, reporters of the “Polish Radio for Abroad”, were interviewing the Ambassador Henryk Litwin.

“Mr. Ambassador, could the economic cooperation between Belarus and Poland be set as an example? For reference, last year common trade in goods surpassed 2 billion US dollars, including the service sphere”.

“It would be hard to answer your question in simple words. On one hand, we are all happy that we reached a steady growth in trade in goods. On the other hand, the level is far from what it could be between the neighbouring countries and economically strong countries like Poland and Belarus. If one compares trade in goods between Russia and Ukraine, it becomes obvious that the trade with Belarus should be larger. However one should remember that yet several years ago representatives of both sides were hoping for the level of trade in goods somewhat around 1 billion US dollars. Now it is 2 billion… It signifies that the growth is high, though there is still a lot of work ahead of us”.

“Today a process of privatization has been initiated in Belarus. Whether Polish companies are interested in taking part in this process?”

“Interested, indeed, though so far it is hard to go into detail. Polish companies, interested in this process, first of all represent private companies. We know that certain companies show interest, however we do not have more detailed information.

For the moment being, it is hard to say something concrete due to the fact that investors are researching, looking for partners and opportunities. If they find them, contracts will be signed and it will become possible to say something concrete. In the meantime, we observe high level of interest”.

“There is a stereotype that some time ago Polish companies were entering so-called Eastern markets cautiously. Whether the situation has changed now?”

“To be honest, I do not quite understand what you are talking about. Indeed, there are certain problems and specifics regarding working with the East. However on the other hand, there are a lot of experts in Poland that deal with the mentioned above markets and they know well the situation at the Eastern European markets. They have a lot of experience, many contacts, they learned to work on this territory and achieving good results. We may talk about rapid growth of the trade in goods with Belarus and with Ukraine as well. Also the trade in goods with Russia is still high though not as good as at some point.

It seems to me that there is a great interest in Poland in CIS countries markets. Clearly, large companies face certain difficulties, however small and medium businesses do not complain about that”.

“Now let’s talk about cultural links that unite Belarusian and Polish people. Indeed, it is a result of the common historical background dating back centuries. A few years ago an opening of the house-museum of A. Mickiewich took place in Novogrudok, there were a number of other events too. Is there anything planned for the near future with regard to cultural activities with participation of the Polish side, including the Polish Ambassador in Minsk?”

“We constantly organize a lot of various events. Talking about large-scale events with participation of representatives of both countries and TV, so far there are no such events planned. It is more important that we constantly work on various issues. I believe the Director of the Polish Institute in Minsk could tell you more about it.

I may only mention that practically every month an important event related to the Polish culture is organized. For instance, in autumn we are preparing a large concert with participation of Belarusian and Polish artists, the Ninth Symphony of Beethoven will be performed. In addition to that we are also planning to stage a concert dedicated to our national holiday: in September there will be a big event linked to Gerbert Anniversary. Therefore if one is interested, he or she could find an event linked to Polish culture in Minsk almost every week”.

“Representatives of the Polish Institute are regular guests of the “ Warsaw Bridge”, therefore our listeners know about the events organized by it. In the near future we will be discussing a large forthcoming event the “Polish Autumn”.

“We are preparing for the Year of Chopin with lots of events. Indeed, anything linked to the common history is very important. It also contributes to general cooperation between our countries. It seems to be that this area was left aside somehow previously however today there is positive approach from both sides. It now may work for our benefit in various fields”.

“There are lots of places in Belarus and Poland linked by common historical background. Whether these places and common historical background assist in improving neighbourhood connections today and whether they may assist in the future?”

“It depends on us only. The fact of existence of these places may become a drawback just as it may become a benefit. As of today, it is most likely a benefit as we have learned not to divide the common ancestry: it is our common tradition, common property. It helps, indeed. Talking about preservation of architectural relicts, we jointly work on that in Nesvizh. In the same town a session of the International Nesvizh Summer School is taking place, which is an extremely interesting event for young people from Poland and Belarus. Some projects are also connected to Nesvizh, for instance, Nesvizh library of virtual archive. It definitely brings us closer and helps to build contacts. There are other common places and probably even more that we know, one just needs to look for them. Everything connected to Adam Mickiewich provides with a ground for such cooperation. I think that with our joint efforts a tourist rout following places linked to Mickiewich could be elaborated. We could improve infrastructure, do something together due to the fact that Mickiewich is a significant figure for both countries”.

“Mr. Ambassador, I think that our listeners, Belarusian citizens, would be interested in this subject. They become frequent visitors to Poland while traveling around Europe. What is the current situation with the issuance of Schengen and National Polish visas by the Polish consulates in Belarus? It is not a secret that from time to time the Media reports about allegedly inappropriate work of the Consulates”.

“I am aware there are complaints however one should talk about concrete complaints. I totally disagree that our Consulates are working inappropriately. Indeed, some of them are in a complex situation, especially the one in Grodno where the Consulate building is not corresponding to the needs and their working conditions are hard. The situation is also complicated in Brest, where the circumstances led to that not all staff could perform their duties and that did not depend on the Consul. Therefore people have to wait to submit their applications in Grodno and Brest. When an individual comes to a Consulate in Minsk, he or she may submit documents on the same day. Indeed then one has to wait for a visa. However that is a separate issue which does not depend on the Consul. It should be understood that after Poland joined the Schengen zone, a Consul is launching so-called electronic procedure and that is it, there is nothing he can do about it. Indeed, people find it hard to comprehend.

Therefore we have surpassed the barriers in Minsk, also the situation in Brest and in Grodno is improving though one has to wait. I think that in Grodno and in Brest all issues should be solved before October.

Clearly, there are unhappy people, for instance someone was rejected a visa, another had to pay for his visa though he thought that would not be the case. I headed a Consulate twice and I know that it is a complicated job. No matter how hard you try the majority will be discontent anyway. People are leaving the Consulate unhappy though the staff of the consulate is falling from fatigue. Those who have not received a visa think it was a Consul’s fault. It is a complicated job… I hope that those people who apply for a visa would treat our work and conditions with understanding. We are constantly looking for ways to improve the situation and we realize that there are certain issues, linked to technical opportunities. However we try to issue visas as soon as possible for those who comply with all the criteria. It should be understood that when certain barriers occur, they may not depend on the Consul”.

“Some time ago there was unconfirmed information that the Belarusian side apparently was looking for an opportunity to open a Consulate in the West of Poland, due to the fact that there were no Consular establishments of Belarus. Is Polish side regarding an opportunity to open a Consulate in the East of Belarus, given that the Eastern parts of the country are attributed to the Consular section in Minsk. Are there any projects of the kind?”

“No, however the issue was discussed in Poland for several years. It would be reasonable to open a Consulate in Vitebsk however given the current circumstances it makes no sense to overcomplicate the situation. We have to improve the work of the Consulates in Minsk, Brest and Grodno first. For the moment being our main task is to find a new building for the Consulate in Grodno. It seems to me that it would also be hard to find financial resources for building two consulates, given we also plan to start a construction of an Embassy building in Minsk. For the moment being the most important thing is to solve the issue with the Consulate in Grodno, after that we could start thinking about other things”.

“Poles come to Belarus by car, Belarusians also travel to Poland and you as well travel a lot by car. What is your opinion, are there any things in common or different between Belarusian and Polish drivers?”

“That is an interesting question… I have an impression that in the city of Minsk cars enjoy more freedom that in Warsaw or other large cities of Poland. Indeed the difference is minor. Talking about highways, in Poland if you want to bypass another car, a car in front of you would move to the right to give you way. It is not always the case in Belarus… It happens they do not let you pass by. I never bypass a car from the right, I try to let them know somehow, give a signal… That is the only obvious difference that comes to mind immediately. I think the reason behind it is that the part of the road we usually take when going to Warsaw, between Minsk and Brest, is extremely good and wide, while in Poland this road is not that good. In Poland it is hard to drive when someone is not giving the way. However in reality there are no huge differences”.