Polish foreign minister holds rare meeting with Belarusian counterpart, discusses 'improving relations'
Sikorski said the meeting took place on "neutral territory" and that "when a neighbor wants to thaw and improve relations, Poland is always the first to agree."
On September 23, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski held a rare meeting with his Belarusian counterpart Maxim Ryzhenkov at the United Nations to discuss improving relations between the two nations, according to Polish media. The two countries have had a strained diplomatic relationship in recent years due to issues such as espionage, a migrant crisis at the Polish border, and Belarusian support for Russia's war against Ukraine.
However, Sikorski stated that the meeting took place on neutral territory and emphasized that Poland is always willing to engage in dialogue when a neighbor seeks to improve relations.
During the meeting, the two ministers discussed the border situation between Poland and Belarus and regional security concerns. Sikorski highlighted recent improvements in the border situation and the release of political prisoners as reasons to attempt to stabilize relations. He also announced that Poland would soon open a new embassy building in Minsk.
Despite the progress being made, Sikorski cautioned against the notion that the Polish government is recognizing Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko. He clarified that as a state, Poland recognizes other states, not governments. The meeting between the two foreign ministers marks the first high-level talks between the countries' foreign ministers in a decade.
The tension between Poland and Belarus has escalated in recent years, with Belarus engineering a migrant crisis at its border with Poland in 2021 and serving as a key military ally of Russia in its war against Ukraine. Poland has responded to Russian missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian territory by scrambling fighter jets multiple times, concerned about potential cross-border aerial incursions and hybrid attacks against NATO territory.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
