News of the story
"On Point"
MINSK, 18 September (BelTA) – The Polish authorities did not consider the opinion of their people when closing the border with Belarus, and now Lithuania may benefit from this decision, Polish politician, political expert Mateusz Piskorski said in a new episode of the V Teme [On Point] project on BelTA's YouTube channel.
When discussing the consequences of the closure of the border between Belarus and Poland, Mateusz Piskorski first emphasized that the Polish authorities did not seek the opinion of their people before making this decision. "No one is asking the views of ordinary Polish citizens on this matter. It was initially announced that the border would be closed during the Zapad 2025 army exercise. Although this, too, was not entirely clear from my personal perspective. I am certainly no military expert, but on the one hand, representatives of the Polish government explained that the Zapad exercise would use the latest missile technologies, including the globally renowned Oreshnik. At that time, they decided to close the border, arguing that such advanced technologies would be used during the exercises. That made me wonder: how could closing the Polish-Belarusian border prevent this? Naturally, this was merely a pretext for certain political decisions. Later, the minister of the interior announced that the border would, in fact, stay closed indefinitely,” the political analyst stated.
He noted that a similar situation occurred nine years ago. “We have already observed this, by the way. In 2016, small-scale border traffic between Poland and Russia, specifically, Kaliningrad Oblast, was restricted. Nine years have passed since then. At the time, some also claimed it was temporary, but the decision was repeatedly extended. In reality, it has now become indefinite. Everyone has grown accustomed to the absence of small-scale border traffic. However, in the case of our border with Belarus, it is even worse because the border is closed entirely. I believe this is the first such instance,” Mateusz Piskorski.emphasized
The political analyst also described this decision as unprecedented. “I believe our Lithuanian neighbors and friends are very pleased, because the flow of goods and Polish citizens wishing to travel to Belarus, as well as Belarusians wanting to enter Poland, will now need to pass through Lithuania. This is undoubtedly beneficial for them,” he said.
He noted that a similar situation occurred nine years ago. “We have already observed this, by the way. In 2016, small-scale border traffic between Poland and Russia, specifically, Kaliningrad Oblast, was restricted. Nine years have passed since then. At the time, some also claimed it was temporary, but the decision was repeatedly extended. In reality, it has now become indefinite. Everyone has grown accustomed to the absence of small-scale border traffic. However, in the case of our border with Belarus, it is even worse because the border is closed entirely. I believe this is the first such instance,” Mateusz Piskorski.emphasized
The political analyst also described this decision as unprecedented. “I believe our Lithuanian neighbors and friends are very pleased, because the flow of goods and Polish citizens wishing to travel to Belarus, as well as Belarusians wanting to enter Poland, will now need to pass through Lithuania. This is undoubtedly beneficial for them,” he said.
Follow us on:
