Diplomatic Relations Between Belarus And Poland Established 25 Years Ago

Poland was one of the first countries to cooperate with the independent Belarus.

March 2, 2017 marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Poland and Belarus. The archive of the Polish Foreign Ministry will present historical documents and photos dedicated to the event, novychas.by writes.

The most important document of the demonstrated materials is the agreement on establishing diplomatic relations dated March 2, 1992, it was signed by the foreign ministers of Poland and Belarus – Krzysztof Skubishevski and Piotr Krauchanka, who was on a visit to Warsaw. There are two language versions (Polish and Belarusian) of the signed agreement.

There are the credentials of the first diplomatic representatives of Belarus and Poland – Janina Elżbieta Smułek and Uladzimir Sanko among the materials, as well as a copy of the diplomatic passport of the Polish ambassador.

The materials include photographs of the pre-war period, related to the activities of the Consulate General of Poland in Minsk, where one can see the building of the diplomatic mission and its personnel.

The establishing of the relationships

In the pre-war period, the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland functioned in Minsk, subordinate to the Embassy in Moscow. It worked till 1939, the last head was Kazimierz Rudki. In the postwar period (in 1972) the Consulate General of Poland opened in Minsk.

The relationships were established according to the agreement, signed by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs on 2 March, 1992, that allowed the exchange of diplomatic representatives (first in the rank of Charge d'Affaires) and to establish diplomatic missions in Warsaw and Minsk. In the same year – on June 23, 1992 – the President of Poland Lech Walesa and Chairman of the Supreme Council of Belarus Stanislau Shushkevich signed the Warsaw Treaty on Good-neighborliness and friendly cooperation.