Poland has no choice but to enter into talks with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko following a deterioration in the country’s relationship with its neighbor, the new deputy speaker of the Polish Senate, Maciej Żywno, has claimed.
Żywno, from the Third Way alliance supporting Donald Tusk’s return to power, told Wirtualna Polska liberal news outlet that Poland can ill-afford the present state of its relations with Belarus.
He argued that Poland needs to stop the “pushbacks” of migrants on the border with Belarus and to enter into “difficult talks” with Minsk, adding that in his experience as a deputy prefect in the Podlaskie region of eastern Poland, “small steps are possible” to be taken to help ease tensions and improve relations.
The deputy speaker of the Polish Senate expressed his belief that Poland must undertake diplomatic initiatives “to resolve the humanitarian crisis on the border” by securing Belarusian cooperation in reducing the number of migrants approaching the border.
Meanwhile, the secretary of state for security issues in the outgoing administration, Stanisław Żaryn, has noticed a new trend that has appeared in the rhetoric used by Belarus.
Lukashenko, according to the official, is sending out feelers indicating his readiness to engage in dialog with the new government and “to let bygones be bygones” concerning recent tensions with the conservative Law and Justice government.
At the same time, Żaryn claimed the Lukashenko regime continues to present the current policies of the Polish government as aggressive and damaging for both Poland and the EU.
This is clearly an attempt by Minsk to take advantage of the post-election situation in Poland in order to soften up Poland’s stance towards Belarus and to attempt to whitewash the image of the Lukashenko regime, he warned.
