Lukashenka starting conflict with Poland: he refused to recognize independent Union of Poles

Alyaksandr Lukashenka refused to consider an application of the delegates of the congress of the Union of Poles in Belarus (UPB), calling on him to help developing better relations.

A month ago, on March 15, Anzhalika Borys was re-elected head of the unrecognized by the authorities Union of Poles in Belarus at the VII congress in Hrodna. The participants of the congress adopted an address to Alyaksandr Lukashenka suggesting to establish a dialogue between the organization and the state institutions, which, in their view, was to promote official registering of the UPB.

It has become known today that the Administration of Lukashenka returned the UPB activists the address with a comment, saying the head of the official Union of Poles is Yuzef Lucznik, and the rest can’t speak on behalf of the organization.

According to Ihar Bantsar, press secretary of the unrecognized Union of Poles in Belarus, this reply proves the authorities don’t want to give the organization a legal status and will continue persecuting its members.

The Union of Poles in Belarus was split some years ago with the help of the Belarusian authorities. The part of the organization leading by Yuzef Lucznik is officially recognized and obeys the authorities. The UPB leading by Anzhalika Borys, supported by the Polish government, is being persecuted in Belarus.

The Belarusian authorities have complicated relations with official Warsaw due to the Union of Poles. In the beginning of the Belarusian-Polish conflict, in 2005, Alyaksandr Lukashenka accused Poland of “brainwashing” the Belarusian Poles via the union.

“The Belarusian Poles don’t want to live in Poland. We won’t allow our citizens to be tools of anyone,” Lukashenka said. The conflict 2005 continued with mutual expelling diplomats.

At the same time, Polish authorities repeatedly said one of the conditions of developing better Belarus–Poland relations was recognition of the Union of Poles leading by Anzhalika Borys.