In fresh days there has been an unexpected revival of relations between Minsk and Warsaw. With the proposal to deescalate tensions between the neighbours came, traditionally, the Belarusian side.
"We have informed our neighbours through the OSCE communication network that we are ready to carry out regional confidence-building and safety measures in accordance with the Vienna Document," he stated. Valeri Rewenko, Head of the Department of global Military Cooperation of the Ministry of Defence of Belarus. “We are ready to negotiate, visit military units and inspect each other, both in Belarus and Poland in the 80 km zone”, he added.
According to the Belarusian MON official, thanks to specified controls, Poland could verify that Belarus is not gathering forces or resources to carry out aggressive actions. "Poland can see for itself that we are at peace, ready for dialog and cooperation," said Rewenko.
The authoritative stated that Minsk is aware of the formation of 3 fresh divisions by Poland as part of Operation Safe Podlasie. He argued that Belarus' proposal was a kind of test for the Polish side. "If our neighbour in the west is ready for specified action, we will be able to realize that this policy is peaceful and aims to find compromises and establish a good neighbourhood, a good dialogue," said Rewenko.
The Polish Minister of Defence referred to the Belarusian MON proposal Władysław Kosiniak-Kamish. In a general answer he stressed that "the constitutional work of the Polish state is to defend borders", and the only institutions to be trusted in the issue of the safety of the Polish east border are the Border Guard, the Police and the Military, which are active in the activities in this area all day.
In consequence to the message of the request for the Belarusian side to make certain that the measures threatening Belarus and the Union of Belarus and Russia are not collected in Poland, Kosiniak-Kamish stressed that Poland is part of NATO, which is simply a strictly defence alliance. He added that the task of the Polish Army is to build a deterrent possible and a possible defence:
"In our actions I have no intention of causing any war with anyone. But we are tasked – our most crucial – to deter and defend. (...) So that it is never worth attacking Poland and NATO countries. This is our strategy,” said Władysław Kosiniak-Kamish.
If the Polish minister's message is 1 and only consequence to the Belarusian party's proposal, then it is simply a typical avoidance from our government. Meanwhile, the Belarusian proposal is as serious as possible. We should read it in a broader context. This is not the first time Belarus is simply a organization that extends its hand to consent. No success. It is consistently rejected. This is not only an inaction, which is evidently not elegant, but in fact meaningless. It's a political mistake.
In the meantime, neither Belarus nor Lukashenko must be underestimated. This small, devoid of natural resources the state has made a gigantic leap in civilization over the last 3 decades. Without support for EU measures, in spite of sanctions and harassment. For decades, Lukashenko himself has been skillful in maneuvering between east and west. His current rapprochement with Moscow is equally the consequence of changing geopolitical conditions, as are cardinal collective errors of the West, including mainly ours, Polish ones.
President Lukashenko rejected by Poland and Europe was effectively deprived of the field of geopolitical manoeuvre. He did not choose Moscow – we chose Moscow for him. Perpetual ostracism, Belsat television, openly or even ostentatiously supporting the opposition, and yet co-organizing the overthrow. In spite of all reason, we admit to this. In the context of the above and consistently obstructive position of the Polish side, it is not amazing that subsequent conciliative gestures of our east neighbours are becoming increasingly cautious. Which does not mean that they should be ignored.
Kosiniak-Kamish's statement, although highly general, is inactive included in the convention of diplomatic expression. This cannot be said of most reactions of Polish-speaking media. The reactions are completely repetitive and predictable. A dominant tone, and it is traditionally a hysterical communicative about the “Belarusian dictator”, richly intertwined by the detached comments of Belarusian oppositionists. Prym is led by reliable Paul Latushka. "They want to give the message to the Belarusian and Russian society that there is simply a threat from Poland and neighbouring NATO associate States to Belarus, that it is these countries that form further divisions, that they bring troops to the border to supposedly attack the territory of Belarus" – the opponent's staff is thundering.
Contrary to another wisdom of Easy, the minute to start talks with Belarus is excellent. We're on the verge of a fresh global hand. The place we're going to occupy on the fresh geopolitical chess board is not even at all up to us today. However, we can improve it greatly, though by repairing a completely unnecessarily broken relation with our neighbors. Is our rulers wise adequate to do so? I want I could believe that...
Przemysław Piasta
I'm sorry.
Think Poland, No. 9-10 (2-9.03.2025)
