Will visa-free regime be introduced after Union of Poles conflict?

ERB has tried to find out whether Poland is going to agree to it during the conflict with our country.

The conflict concerning the Union of Poles in Belarus has aroused a kickback in Warsaw. A number of Belarusian officials may be forbidden to enter the neighboring country and President Lech Kaczyński has approved the plan of actions concerning our country. Polish deputies have made harsh remarks.  

Let us remind you that the Foreign Ministers of Belarus and Poland signed the Agreement on local cross-border traffic on February 12. The Agreement will allow inhabitants of both countries’ border zones to cross the border.

However, the Agreement will come into power only after it is ratified by the Belarusian and Polish Parliaments.

Despite the conflict, Polish parliamentarians are not going to raise difficulties to the ratification of the agreement. The press secretary of the faction of an opposition party “Right and Justice” Mariush Blashchak has expressed this opinion in an interview with ERB.

Mariush Blashchak: "We think that this agreement should be ratified. It is useful for both sides – Poland and Belarus”.
Robert Tyshkevich, deputy of the biggest party of the Seym “Civil Platform” also heading the parliamentary group responsible for relations with Belarus, thinks that his party will also support the ratification because ordinary people may suffer otherwise.

I think that this agreement is very useful for the Polish minority and for other Belarusian citizens. That is why it was necessary to meet Martynau to sign the agreement. The Belarusian situation is very difficult but this is a kind of real assistance for Belarusian citizens as it opens the way to free contacts with Poland and the European Union, - noted the Polish deputy heading the parliamentary group responsible for relations with Belarus Robert Tyshkevich .

Robert Tyshkevich thinks that the ratification of the agreement will be unanimous and the visa-free regime may come into power in July.

The Polish President will have to sign the agreement after the Polish Seym ratifies it. But deputies are sure there will be no problems with getting his signature.

Let us remind you that deputies of “Civil Platform” and “Right and Justice” occupy more than 80% of positions in the Polish Parliament.

Seym’s photo: bi.gazeta.pl

See also:

Belarusian-Polish cross-border agreement signed in Warsaw (photo)