Poland may close other border crossings with Belarus – PM Morawiecki

February 10, BPN. Poland may close other checkpoints on its shared border with Belarus, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has told journalists in Brussels.

The official linked the closure of the Bierastavica-Bobrowniki border crossing on February 10 to the growing tensions with Belarus and Russia’s meddling, which is increasingly dangerous for Poland, Ukraine and Europe. Poland sent a very strong signal to Minsk by closing the border crossing, Morawiecki stressed.

A very large border crossing Brest – Terespol is still handling passenger traffic, he added.

On February 9, Mariusz Kamiński, Polish interior minister, said that Poland will close the Bierastavica-Bobrowniki checkpoint at noon on February 10 until further notice “in connection with a matter of state security.”

Kamiński tweeted his decision a minute after Warsaw had announced that it would impose new sanctions on Belarus over a lengthy prison sentence for a Polish minority activist and journalist Andrzej Poczobut. Judge Dźmitryj Bubienčyk sentenced the Gazeta Wyborcza contributor to eight years in prison on charges of inciting hatred and calling for sanctions.

The Belarusian foreign ministry has expressed “strong protest” against the border crossing closure to Martin Wojciechowski, Polish chargé d’affaires, the foreign ministry’s press office said on February 10.

The move aggravates the very difficult situation on the Belarusian-Polish border, violating the rights of thousands of people from various countries, including Poland and Belarus, it said. Any attempts to pressure Belarus would be counterproductive, the foreign ministry added.

Out of the six checkpoints at the Belarus-Poland border, only Brest – Terespol is currently open for passenger traffic, while Kazłovičy – Kururyki remains open for cargo traffic. The Brest checkpoint’s maximum daily traffic capacity (from Belarus to Poland) is 1,700 passenger vehicles. Other checkpoints had been closed earlier by the decision of the Polish side, Belarusian border authorities said.