Belarusian Foreign Ministry: Polish TV Channel Is To Start Work Only On Principles Of Reciprocity

Foreign Ministry spokesman Dzmitry Mironchyk has belied the words of the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry does not confirm Warsaw’s statements about the agreement on the Polish channel broadcasting in our country.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Dzmitry Mironchyk commented on the recent statements, made by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Witold Waszczykowski, that Minsk had allegedly agreed to "transmit the Polonia Culture Television in Belarus."

– I commented in detail on the theme of the Polish channels’ presence in response to a question from journalists recently. I really have nothing to add to that comment. <...> The word "agreement" wasn’t mentioned there, but I gave explanations.

– Does it mean that everything is at the same stage?

– Santa did not bring anything, – Mironchyk mentioned with a smile.

It is to be recalled that two weeks ago the Belarusian Foreign Ministry informed that Poland had initiated the inclusion of its channel in cable networks of Belarus, and Minsk was to study it.

– This question is not entirely within the Foreign Ministry competence: it has a number of technical aspects, as well as some legal nuances, concerning the foreign media release at the Belarusian information market. They all require serious consideration on the reciprocity principle basis.

The Polish language Polonia TV channel was included in Belarus’ cable networks simoltaneously with the information that the financing of the Belarusian language Polish TV channel Belsat was to be reduced. Polish minister Waszczykowski said in that regard that for 10 years Belsat had not had the possibility to broadcast throughout the country and "its' impact on the reality is humble."

However, according to the Polish Minister, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of his country was forced to cut Belsat’s funding not for political reasons, but in order to transfer funds to the opening of new consulates and to support Syrian refugees.

It became known in early December that the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs might reduce Belsat’s funding in more than three times – from 17 to 5 million PLN for 2017 (from 4 to 1.2 million dollars). Belsat Director Agnieszka Romashevskaya stated that it would lead to the actual destruction of the channel.

The TV channel Belsat was established after the presidential elections in Belarus in 2006. Its satellite broadcasting started on 10 December 2007. The channel was created as a structural unit of the Polish TV under a contract with the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The contract provided for the long-term cooperation and financing the TV channel Belsat.

TVP Polonia is an international channel of the Polish Television. The channel was created with the support of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and it broadcasts from Warsaw. TVP Polonia is meant for representatives of the Polish diaspora in other countries.