Witold Waszczykowski: I Am from Solidarity

The head of the Foreign Ministry of Poland stated its country would always speak about human rights in Belarus.

On Tuesday evening at the meeting with representatives of the Belarusian opposition and civil society in Minsk the Polish foreign minister delivered a speech. Radio Svaboda presents his speech:

"Close neighbours – Belarus and Poland - did not meet during many years and talk to each other. It's my first visit to Belarus for many years. It is impossible for countries which are so close to each other, have similar languages and culture not to talk to each other during six years. After many years of no contacts the first visit deals with the matters that both unite and divide us.

First, my visit to Belarus is the beginning of the activity of the new government which I am representing and second, I arrived with the new ambassador of Poland to Belarus. He is the former deputy foreign minister, my former deputy. It means that we want to think over and solve our common problems in the most serious way.

This is the strategic event which relates to a large amount of problems. The visit relates to historic things, we have a common history: we can recall Monte Cassino, and tragic ones like Kurapaty and Katyn. I talked to Minister of Foreign Affairs Makei. I recalled Kurapaty. I said it had been a tragic story of our people and this is not what divides us, we were victims.

I also reminded Makei about the government I represented. Our government originates from great Solidarity movement. Over many years Solidarity movement has been fighting for human rights and democracy and it finally succeeded. Our government will speak about human rights and democracy issues.

On the other hand, we will not make a revolution, organize a coup, the Square, but we wish changes to occur in accordance with principles of democracy and human rights. But we can help. We can provide experts, share our experience. But changes are responsibility of the countries where they must occur.

I must keep balance, remind of people's resentment and support relations between countries.

We are interested the Republic of Belarus to be full, sovereign, independent so that it would cooperate with both Poland and Europe, and at the same time we will not sit still, if someone does harm Belarus", Polands's Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski stated.