THE Poland will close its eastern borders to goods vehicles registered in Belarus and Russia until further notice, according to a draft regulation published today by the interior ministry.
This decision by the Polish government comes after a Belarusian court upheld an earlier decision sentencing a journalist of Polish origin to eight years in prison, thus further aggravating relations between the two countries, which remain tense due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
According to the justification of the regulation on these border restrictions, the decision is necessary for the “shielding public safety”.
While the regulation does not address the case of jailed journalist Andrei Pozobut, Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski said in a tweet that he would add several hundred Belarusian officials to the sanctions list as a result of the verdict, which he called “very severe.”
Poland has previously closed some border crossings with Belarus after the imprisonment of Pozobut and the expulsion of Polish diplomats from Minsk.
Belarus’ foreign ministry was not immediately available for comment following Warsaw’s decision today.
Minsk has said in the past that Warsaw’s decisions to close border crossings are irrational and dangerous, accusing Warsaw of causing long delays and failing to implement bilateral agreements.
Poland has become a key haven for Belarusian dissidents, opponents of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, and Warsaw has become one of Kiev’s staunchest supporters since Belarus’ main ally Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Poland also accuses Belarus of artificially creating a migrant crisis at the border by airlifting people from the Middle East and Africa into Belarus and attempting to push them across the border with Poland.
Although the number of migrants crossing the border is lower than at the height of the crisis in 2021, Polish border guards report dozens of attempts to illegally enter Polish territory every day.
Source: News Beast
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