Queues at the Belarusian-Polish border are growing. Drivers, families with children are forced to languish in the heat while waiting, and it is not yet clear when the situation will begin to improve. Polish ex-judge Tomasz Szmydt discusses the reasons for this state of affairs and the ramifications of this policy by the Western governments.
Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko supported the proposal to waive visas for citizens of 35 European countries entering Belarus by land. This suggests that Belarus is a friendly and open country. The government in Warsaw, despite such a positive initiative, continues to artificially complicate things on the Polish-Belarusian border.
My acquaintances heading to Belarus shared some facts with me and these facts got confirmed. But, unfortunately, new alarming information is also emerging.
Polish border guards and customs officers sit by for many hours, deliberately increasing the time it takes to cross the border. Back in early July, the waiting time for crossing the border could be as long as 20 hours. The situation continues to deteriorate.
For example, on 21 July 2024, there were 300 cars and 21 buses queuing to enter Belarus. The queue of cars to enter Poland has quadrupled since Monday, 15 July. The reason was the entry ban imposed by Lithuania and Latvia on Belarus-registered cars.
At the border crossing, both adult passengers and families with small children are queuing. The Polish side ignores all international requirements and does not even provide basic hygiene conditions and medical care. It does not respect the agreements and obligations, forcing travelers to wait for check-in for many hours in the conditions that degrade dignity and fundamental human rights.
The situation at the border crossing for trucks (Kukuryki - Kozlovichi) looks even worse. A reminder, in early July a Polish truck driver died while queuing for registration at the customs terminal in Malashevichi for a long time.
Such is the behavior of the state, which calls itself democratic, based on the rule of law. The hypocrisy of the government in Warsaw has taken on unprecedented proportions. We can only hope that no tragedy will happen again through the fault of the Polish border guards.
It is also worth noting that a significant part of the transportation of goods from China passes through this so-called dry port. It seems that Warsaw does not care at all about friendly relations with China. This may lead to China redirecting part of its transportation by sea, for example, through the port of Hamburg.
Once again we are witnessing how Polish politicians and officials are willing to jeopardize the lives and mental health of innocent people and to sacrifice the long-term interests of the country for short-term political PR stunts.
In this difficult situation, we would like to remain optimistic and believe that common sense and conscience have not abandoned Polish politicians forever.
Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko supported the proposal to waive visas for citizens of 35 European countries entering Belarus by land. This suggests that Belarus is a friendly and open country. The government in Warsaw, despite such a positive initiative, continues to artificially complicate things on the Polish-Belarusian border.
My acquaintances heading to Belarus shared some facts with me and these facts got confirmed. But, unfortunately, new alarming information is also emerging.
Polish border guards and customs officers sit by for many hours, deliberately increasing the time it takes to cross the border. Back in early July, the waiting time for crossing the border could be as long as 20 hours. The situation continues to deteriorate.
For example, on 21 July 2024, there were 300 cars and 21 buses queuing to enter Belarus. The queue of cars to enter Poland has quadrupled since Monday, 15 July. The reason was the entry ban imposed by Lithuania and Latvia on Belarus-registered cars.
At the border crossing, both adult passengers and families with small children are queuing. The Polish side ignores all international requirements and does not even provide basic hygiene conditions and medical care. It does not respect the agreements and obligations, forcing travelers to wait for check-in for many hours in the conditions that degrade dignity and fundamental human rights.
The situation at the border crossing for trucks (Kukuryki - Kozlovichi) looks even worse. A reminder, in early July a Polish truck driver died while queuing for registration at the customs terminal in Malashevichi for a long time.
Such is the behavior of the state, which calls itself democratic, based on the rule of law. The hypocrisy of the government in Warsaw has taken on unprecedented proportions. We can only hope that no tragedy will happen again through the fault of the Polish border guards.
It is also worth noting that a significant part of the transportation of goods from China passes through this so-called dry port. It seems that Warsaw does not care at all about friendly relations with China. This may lead to China redirecting part of its transportation by sea, for example, through the port of Hamburg.
Once again we are witnessing how Polish politicians and officials are willing to jeopardize the lives and mental health of innocent people and to sacrifice the long-term interests of the country for short-term political PR stunts.
In this difficult situation, we would like to remain optimistic and believe that common sense and conscience have not abandoned Polish politicians forever.
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