Response of spokesperson of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus R.Varankou, when asked by BelTA about statements by Prime Ministers of Poland and Lithuania about plans to[...]

• Home /
• Press Service /
• News /

Response of spokesperson of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus R.Varankou, when asked by BelTA about statements by Prime Ministers of Poland and Lithuania about plans to open checkpoints across Belarusian-Polish border

How would you comment on the statements of the Prime Ministers of Poland and Lithuania about the plans to open checkpoints across the Belarusian-Polish border "Bobrovniki" and "Kuznitsa"?

R.Varankou: It is not for the Prime Minister of Poland, nor Lithuania to decide when the checkpoints across the state border "Bobrovniki" and "Kuznitsa" will resume their work. Nevertheless, we take note of their statements and consider it necessary to clearly state our principled position.

The border is a complex engineering, technical and organizational system. Any changes in its operating mode require full-fledged bilateral training. Belarus will agree to the opening of its side of the border if and only if it is fully ready for this in terms of infrastructure, personnel and, most importantly, in the field of security.

Attention is drawn to the lack of consistency in the actions of our Western neighbors: the announced dates are constantly postponed, and the fundamental decision itself is being reviewed.

In general, the resumption of the functioning of checkpoints cannot and will not be regulated by unilateral decisions. We will adhere to the same approach in cooperation with the Lithuanian side, which imposed restrictions on the Belarusian-Lithuanian border the day before.

It is also impossible to restore work without establishing a professional dialogue between the competent services. We expect a responsible approach from the Polish side: the agreements reached must be stable and reliable.

Citizens and businesses cannot become hostages to situations where decisions to close the border are made outside the legal framework and without prior notice. We are talking not only about Belarusians, Poles or Lithuanians, but also about citizens of other member states of the European Union, for which the Belarusian-Polish and Belarusian-Lithuanian borders are the eastern border.

Here, as never before, the statement of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Mr. Radoslaw Sikorski, fits: it takes two to tango. The Belarusian side has been fulfilling its party for a long time and clearly. Now we are waiting for the neighbors to finally learn their own.

print version