Poland hopes for the Belarusan evolution, Minsk talks about diversification of foreign policy

photo: mfa.gov.by

Last time the Polish Foreign Minister – back then it was Radoslaw Sikorski – visited Minsk in November 2010. But Europe's expectations have been deceived due to the Square’s crackdown. A new attempt.

Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski started his visit to Belarus with a visit to Kurapaty. And it was not a mere symbolic gesture – at the official briefing the minister said that he hoped for the dialogue of professional historians in the investigation of the crime that affected people of many nationalities, noting that the Belarusians are in no way responsible for the crimes of that time.

Witold Waszczykowski was extremely polite in the wording. Moreover, he said that the new Polish government formed by the party "Law and Justice" (Polish “Prawo i Sprawiedliwość”, abbreviated to PiS – EuroBelarus), the Conservatives, from which many expected a tough position towards Minsk, "found the fact that the closest neighbors don’t have communication and haven’t met over the years weird." "I came to start negotiations without any preconditions," –Waszczykowski said at a briefing in Minsk.

Upon saying it, Waszczykowski recalled that "PiS" "goes back to the "Solidarity" movement; that’s why the questions of human rights and democracy is something that we never forget." But, as the Polish Minister noted, we must remember that " the world wasn’t created in one day, so some processes take time." "These processes are controlled by the evolution," - added the minister.

According to him, Poland wants to see the neighbor state "modern in every sense."

As for negotiations with his Belarusian counterpart Uladzimir Makei, according to the Polish Minister, they focused on "practical things": they talked about the situation of the Polish minority in Belarus, modernization of cross-border infrastructure (it is with the insufficiency of cross-border infrastructure that Belarus links the lack of progress in small border traffic), about visa facilitation and their possible cost reduction, bilateral and regional economic cooperation, and bilateral economic cooperation with China.

In his turn, Uladzimir Makei expressed hope that the visit of the Polish Minister will help to eradicate "a number of concerns" in the relations between the two countries.

As to the priorities, Makei has declared Minsk’s allegiance to "the main ally – Russia." However, he said that "we are firmly aimed at comprehensive normalization and development of relations with the European Union," though not at the expense of relations with other partners. I.e., according to Makei, Minsk is heading for the diversification of the Belarusian foreign policy. "In this relation, Poland as a member of the EU and our neighbor is of great importance for Belarus. We want to have normal relations with our closest neighbor in all areas. We would like to see our common border as the border of friendship rather than the separation border", - Uladzimir Makei said.

According to the Polish Minister, his visit is the start of the relations’ intensification. Thus, in three months Minsk will be visited by the Polish delegation headed by the Deputy Prime Minister; consultations at the level of deputy ministers on consular issues and consultation of representatives of the border services of the two countries are scheduled. Besides, Waszczykowski invited Makei to pay a reciprocal visit. Makei, in his turn, noted that perhaps the parties will manage to implement the rules secured in the Treaty on Good – Neighbourly Relations and Friendly Cooperation signed in 1992 – on the foreign ministers' meeting at least once a year.