Polish FM Ambassador withdrawn from Minsk

Ambassador Henryk Litwin has been in connection with seizure of the Polish House in Ivyanets by police.

Piotr Paszkowski, spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry of Poland, said to Radio Svaboda that withdrawing the Ambassador for consultations is a political signal that Polish diplomacy evaluates the actions by Belarusian authorities towards Poles in Belarus negatively.

Meanwhile Belarusian Ambassador to Poland Viktar Haisyonak was summoned to the Foreign Ministry of Poland, where Vice Minister Andrzej Kremer expressed his serious concern over the actions of Belarusian law-enforcing agencies. “Such repressive actions are unacceptable for us,” Vice Minister said.

In the TV program e “After 8 p.m.” of TVP Info channel the situation with the Polish House in Ivyanets was commented on by Foreign Minister of Poland Radoslaw Sikorski. Among other things he stated: “Respect to the rights of minorities is an important condition of rapprochement with the EU, but it’s up to Belarus to make choice. Nobody would prohibit it if it wants to isolate itself”. As said by Sikorski, he is getting ready for a “with a man-to-man talk in Belarusian Foreign Ministry”.

We remind that yesterday in Ivyanets (Minsk region) policemen and officers of court burst into the Polish House, owned by the unrecognized by the Belarusian authorities Union of Poles. The building was surrounded by policemen. Activists of the Union of Poles were forced away from the building. After that policemen got Stanislau Buracheuski, appointed head of the Ivyanets pro-governmental Union of Poles, into the building.

We remind that the previous conflict related to the Polish House in Ivyanets happened late January. The authorities tried to hold a congress there in order to replace the head of the local branch of the Union of Poles not recognized by the authorities, Tereza Sobal (Teresa Sobol), Dozens of organization’s activists were detained on the way to Ivyanets.

The Union of Poles was split in 2005. Its part which was loyal to the regime is officially recognized. Activists of the UPB not recognized by the authorities headed by Andzelika Borys are subject to crackdown by the authorities.