MINSK, 12 September (BelTA) – Belarus is ready to normalize relations with Poland any day now. Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko made the statement as he met with representatives of various nationalities, who live in Belarus, BelTA has learned.
In response to a speech by Chairman of the public association Union of Poles in Belarus Aleksandr Songin, who mentioned the eagerness of the two nations to normalize the relations as soon as possible, Aleksandr Lukashenko said: “I feel absolutely no shame before our Poles, before you. We are ready to normalize relations with them any day now.”
At the same time the president recounted an entire series of actions of Poland that are detrimental to the normalization of the relations. “Why did they shut down border crossings? Crossing the border is vital for people. They cannot get to the graves [of their relatives] now,” Aleksandr Lukashenko mentioned as an example. “If our Pole shows some constructive attitude, then Poland treats him or her as an enemy. Why? This is why you should not feel shame for the policy we pursue with regard to Poland. We would like things to be quiet and peaceful here and in Poland. If, god forbid, something happens in Poland like it did in Ukraine, things will not be easy for us. But they have to understand that it is impossible to bring us to our knees. It is futile. Money will be wasted on that. God forbid, if lives are wasted.”
The head of state also raised the matter of migration. Belarus used to cooperate not only with Poland but with the European Union in migration affairs. On the one hand, Belarus protected the European Union from a stream of migrants. In turn, the other side provided financial assistance by investing in building temporary accommodation shelters. However, sanctions were enforced against Belarus afterwards. “And you must have heard that I openly said that cooperation is out of the question and we will not protect them. Why do we have to protect them with a noose on our necks? Am I wrong? And now they make some complaints about us,” Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked.
Another complaint focused on so-called political prisoners. “It is not their business at the least. What political prisoners? After all, you saw what happened in peaceful and quiet Belarus in 2020,” the president said. “What political prisoners? We have no Criminal Code articles like that. And then what business of yours is it? Sort out your own problems in Poland. You have plenty of problems.”
Human rights represent another area Belarus is criticized for. Aleksandr Lukashenko drew attention to Poland’s actions in this regard: “What human rights? You kill people. You brazenly kill these migrants, who have gotten over or under the fence. They are killed and their dead bodies or half-dead bodies are dumped on our side of the border. We offer medical aid and save these people at our own expense. What human rights do you complain about if you deprive people of the key right to live?”
Aleksandr Lukashenko also made a few comments about Andrei Pochobut, who had been convicted in Belarus: “I said they can take him. But [Poland’s representative] said: ‘I will not go [to Belarus]. I don’t want to’. And they don’t want to take him back. The situation has simply become a political bargaining chip.”
“As you can see, they use any pretext in order to deteriorate the relations. Poles don’t need it and Poland’s current leaders don’t. They understand it. But Uncle Sam forces them to do it. Americans want a war in Europe. Then they will look good,” the Belarusian leader stated.
Aleksandr Lukashenko admitted that Belarus now pays more attention to the border with Poland than the border with Ukraine although a war is going on to the south. “We’ve reinforced the border. We’ve set up strong points. You saw that I visited one of the strong points outside Brest. We created virtually the second border at the high grounds that are convenient for the military. If you have to take a strong point like that, you will lose thousands of warriors doing it. Why? Who needs that? But we have to defend ourselves. Moreover, we have everything for defending our country,” the head of state stressed. “And you know me, I will not hesitate for a second in defense of my Belarus. We are not going to draw any lines. God forbid if they step on our soil. They respect only strong ones. This is why there must be no weakness.”
Speaking about the Poles, who live in Belarus, the president stressed: “You are my Poles, our Poles”. He reminded that the Polish diaspora backed him up during the first presidential election although there were even Poles by nationality among the candidates. And Aleksandr Lukashenko started his campaigning in Grodno. Back then the Polish community raised several matters before him. One of them surprised the politician: “Help us. Our Poles want to be able to go to Poland’s territory in order to visit graves of relatives. It surprised me. When I met with Poznyak and Shushkevich, I told them: ‘What kind of Poles are you? You are pro-Poland people after all! Why haven’t you resolved the problem yet?’ As a former border guard I opened the border, the border crossings to allow this traffic.”
The Belarusian government did not choke the Catholic church either. People of other religions are not oppressed either. “We shouldn’t oppress the Catholic church. What for? Will it be better for the world if we do? No. People should go to the temples they want to go to. It is their right. After all, it is a matter of their conscience and personal convictions,” the president said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko stated that he resolved all the problems Poles raised before the young presidential candidate back in the day when he became the president. “You need time. You need patience. You should never ever attack and brandish arms. In no case. So, you don’t have to feel sorry before Poland’s leadership for our policy. The ball is on their side. We are ready to cooperate with them as deeply as they are ready for it,” the head of state concluded.
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