The chief of Polish diplomacy assured his audience of support for the changes in Belarus. “You have many friends in Poland and Europe,” he said addressing the members of Belarusian opposition present at the panel. Minister Zbigniew Rau emphasised that in today’s world it is no longer possible for one country to decide the fate of another. “The path of Belarus’s transition may only, must only, be defined by Belarusians themselves. That is why Poland from the very beginning called for dialogue between the authorities and citizens,” said the minister.

The foreign minister also announced support for Belarus, including through the PLN 50 million Solidarity with Belarus programme, simplifying visa procedures, and receiving repressed persons for treatment in Poland. “We will also seek to ensure the EU’s assistance to Belarusian civil society,” he declared. He also pointed out that Poland will consistently support initiatives that offer prospects for dialogue.

In the margins of the Economic Forum, Minister Rau spoke to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, a candidate in the presidential elections in Belarus, about the current situation in the country. Minister Rau pledged continued assistance for civil society and independent media in Belarus, as well as Poland’s support for the idea of dialogue between the authorities and civil society. He considered it unacceptable that representatives of the Coordination Council are being arrested and expelled from Belarus. “The participation of Ms Tsikhanouskaya in the special meeting of the UN Security Council in the Arria formula is an important voice of Belarusian civil society in the international dimension and of its expectations about the future of its country,” stressed the chief of Polish diplomacy.

At this year’s Forum, discussions on international issues featured deputy ministers representing the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk, Paweł Jabłoński, and Marcin Przydacz.

 

MFA Press Office

Photo: Tymon Markowski / MFA

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