Poland mulls closing border with Belarus, minister says

5 months ago 12

Poland is not ruling out closing its two remaining border crossings with Belarus to counter the hybrid activities of Alexander Lukashenko’s regime, Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has said.

Since mid-2021, Poland has experienced an influx of migrants from the Middle East at its border with Belarus, which, according to Warsaw, is being orchestrated by Minsk. The government is making efforts to reinforce the border, including the introduction of a buffer zone, but this has not stopped migrants from attempting to cross.

“Belarus’ actions prompt us to consider the possibility of closing all border crossings. We are currently analysing the consequences of such a decision for the Polish economy and local communities,” said Sikorski, citing Finland, which closed its border with Russia last year.

Only two of the six border crossings with Belarus are currently open. The rest have already been closed in response to the Belarusian regime’s hostile actions. The Kozlovich-Kukuryki border crossing allows trucks to enter Poland, while the Brest-Terespol crossing is used for passenger transport.

According to Belarusians interviewed by Polish-Belarusian TV Belsat, crossing the border in a car can take from 12 to more than 24 hours one way, depending on the day. People fear that the situation will become even more complicated.

Many Belarusians left their country after the wave of anti-Lukashenko protests in 2020, and the Terespol crossing is the only way for them to see their loved ones.

“Its closure would be a tragedy, a disaster for many people. If they (Poland) want to punish Lukashenko, they should rather block the freight traffic,” a resident of the Belarusian village of Kobryn, close to the Polish border, told Belsat.

Pavel Latushka, a leader of the Belarusian opposition and a former minister of culture, backed the idea of stopping the cargo.

Last month, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced plans to reinforce the EU’s eastern flank after an asylum seeker killed Polish border guard with a knife while trying to cross the border into Belarus.

A new EU defence chief?

Sikorski has long been considered a candidate for the post of EU defence commissioner, which Ursula von der Leyen wants to create if she is reappointed as Commission president. However, he denied that he was interested in the job.

“There is no such position in the EU, and even if there was one, and it was proposed to me, I do not aspire to it, and I am not going anywhere,” he told a press conference last week. It is said that the post of defence commissioner would be too narrow a remit to match Sikorski’s ambitions.

Polish media reported that Warsaw could also be interested in the enlargement portfolio of the new Commission. According to analysts, Poland can get a good dossier, given that Tusk has publicly supported von der Leyen’s re-election.

Sikorski is also rumoured to be in line for the post of EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy. Due to his experience and charisma, he is seen as a strong contender for the post. Sikorski ran for the post in 2014 but lost to Italian Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini.

(Aleksandra Krzysztoszek | Euractiv.pl)