Gazeta Wyborcza: Sikorski had already made the mistake of trusting Lukashenka

Polish media provide more coverage to the diplomatic scandal between the European Union and the official Minsk.

In his article “Minsk will not trick European Union anymore”, observer of the daily paper Gazeta Wyborcza Jacek Pawlicki writes that the united reaction of Brussels to the actions that Minsk took against Poland’s Ambassador and EU envoy was a surprise for Aliaksandar Lukashenka’s administration, as Radio Svaboda reports.

“Now, after the European Union recalled all Ambassadors from Belarus on Tuesday, it will be very difficult for any European country to stop the expansion of the visa sanctions that concern persons close to the regime, including key oligarch Yury Chyzh,” Pawlicki remarks.

Furthermore, the journalist provides rather sensational information: according to Gazeta Wyborcza’s sources, Minsk had signaled Warsaw its willingness “to resume the dialogue if the sanctions are not expanded” right before the recent events.

“The regime was ready to discuss political prisoners in case the Polish Foreign Ministry refrains from promoting sanctions expansion to include Mr Chyzh first of all. And although the signals were serious and came from the highest levels, Minister Radoslaw Sikorski did not fall for it because he had already made the mistake of trusting Lukashenka’s empty words, when he in the fall of 2010 together with German colleague Gido Westerwelle tried to convince Lukashenka not to forge the voting results,” Wyborcza writes.

The journalist emphasizes that Lukashenka is convinced he can go on ”tacking between the West and Russia and keeping his power”. Brussels tries to strengthen the sanctions with Poland’s assistance, and when the sanctions are broad enough to involve Lukashenka’s closest team not including regular citizens, the regime is “hurting”, as the paper puts it.

“Despite the results of this poker game, and due to Lukashenka’s recent efforts, the European Union has demonstrated outstanding unity and determination. And this is very important because during the Euro crisis the European Union’s ability to make strong and united steps in its foreign politics has weakened a lot,” Gazeta Wybircza’s observer Jacek Pawlicki concludes in his article “Minsk will not trick European Union anymore”.