{"id":205706,"date":"2026-09-30T19:42:29","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:42:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/205706\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T19:42:31","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:42:31","slug":"polish-foreign-minister-notes-slight-thaw-in-relations-with-minsk","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/205706\/","title":{"rendered":"Polish foreign minister notes \u201cslight thaw\u201d in relations with Minsk"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n\n Rados\u0142aw Sikorski \n <\/div>\n \n
\n (Polish foreign ministry)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

September 30, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> There has been \u201cslight thaw\u201d in relations with Minsk, Polish Foreign Minister Rados\u0142aw Sikorski said in an interview with Rzeczpospolita<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The warming is due to the fulfillment of Warsaw\u2019s conditions, including the release of Polish minority activist Andrej Pa\u010dobut (Andrzej Poczobut) from prison and the fact that he had been allowed to re-enter Belarus and then leave it, Sikorski said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recently, Sikorski added, \u201csmuggling balloons\u201d from Belarus have stopped flying toward Poland, and the eastern border has been quiet in the context of the migration crisis. Sikorski stressed that the absence of irregular crossing attempts is not the achievement of the Minsk regime but the result of Poland having \u201cspent more than a billion euros on the construction of a barrier and a border security operation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sikorski said that Poland can change its policy in response to adjustments by other \u201csubjects of international law.\u201d \u201cIt is in our interest that Belarus maintain state independence from Russia, because there is a difference between being a partner of Russia and being part of it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sikorski added that over the past 30 years \u201ceverything has been moving toward Russia expanding its territory at Belarus\u2019s expense.\u201d \u201cWe must ensure that this does not happen,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On September 22, Sikorski met with Belarusian Foreign Minister Maksim Ry\u017eanko\u016d on the sidelines of UN General Assembly events in New York. The meeting reportedly took place at the initiative of Minsk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his subsequent comments, Sikorski likened the prospects for normalizing bilateral relations to \u201ca snowdrop that can bloom under favorable conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sikorski described the meeting as an initial step, noting that contacts were also taking place between other agencies and at other levels. He said that Poland would soon open a new embassy building in Minsk and was ready to improve relations if Belarus is willing to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The foreign ministers also reportedly discussed issues relating to regional security. When asked whether he had told the Belarusian side not to allow Russia to launch drones and missiles from Belarusian territory, Sikorski replied, \u201camong other things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sikorski noted improvements in the situation along the shared border with Belarus after about a decade without contacts at the ministerial level. He noted the release of many Belarusian political prisoners, including Andrej Pa\u010dobut. The Belarusian foreign ministry commented on X that \u201csnowdrop diplomacy is a nice restart.\u201d \u201cBut we\u2019re in it for the harvest,\u201d the ministry said. \u201cLet\u2019s plant an orchard \u2013 it needs nurturing every year, not once a decade. Minsk is ready to host Belarus and Poland.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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