By Igor Slavinsky
In his three and a half hour interview, Alexander Lukashenko touched on every topic we might consider interesting to Poland today. The President was asked about political relations between Minsk and Warsaw, among other issues, and we cannot but admit that these relations have been far from simple. However, in recent times, positive changes have been obvious; several days ago, the President even met Poland’s Foreign Minister, Radosław Sikorski. Mr. Lukashenko assured Mr. Sikorski of his readiness for further co-operation with the Polish leadership, saying, “I’m pinning great hopes that this man [President of Poland Bronislaw Komorowski — editor] will conduct a policy based on principles, looking at matters openly.”
According to Mr. Lukashenko, ‘we’ve lived through a time of lost opportunities’. “Of course, we could have boasted closer relations, despite you being an EU member and limited by certain obstacles and normative acts. I understand this. Nevertheless, we have a broad space for activity,” stressed the President, adding, “It doesn’t matter that we lack political agreements, or that our state officers disagree on some issues. The border between Belarus and Poland isn’t a wall; we’re actively liaising.”
Journalists from Polish TV and radio, the PAP Agency and Rzeczpospolita newspaper were also interested in the domestic political situation in Belarus on the eve of the presidential elections. They asked direct questions about the Union of Poles, Belsat TV channel and worsening relations with the Kremlin: topics covered by the Polish printed media. No doubt, the President’s opinion on these matters will be interesting to those living in our neighbouring country.
