Meeting of the Defence Attaché at the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus in the Republic of Poland

On 8 November 2021, at 5.00 pm Minsk time, on the initiative of the Polish side, in Warsaw, the defence attaché at the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus in the Republic of Poland Colonel Alexei Bortnik met with representatives of the Ministry of National Defence of the Republic of Poland on the issue of alleged “violations of the Polish border by Belarusian military personnel and their involvement in the migration crisis”. However, no evidence recorded by means of objective control was presented on the merits of these claims.

In this context, the Belarusian military representative noted the following:

“The Belarusian Defence Ministry has always been committed to the principles of good neighbourliness and the importance of maintaining a bilateral dialogue to resolve any conflict or dispute situations.

According to the Belarusian Defence Ministry, the deployment of
10 thousand Polish military personnel at the Polish-Belarusian border (as announced by the Minister of National Defence of the Republic of Poland on 25 October 2021) testifies to a significant military activity.

Carrying out this activity without notifying the Belarusian side is a violation of bilateral additional agreements on regional confidence and security measures. These agreements provide for the notification and invitation of observers of military activities, in which 6 thousand or more military personnel take part.

To date, Minsk has received neither a notification nor an invitation for observers from the Polish side.

In confirmation of our good intentions, the Polish side was invited to hold a bilateral meeting to discuss the concerns raised on both sides. However, so far we have not received a reply”.

In view of the above, the Belarusian Defence Ministry considers the accusations of the Polish side unfounded and unsubstantiated, and also that the Ministry of National Defence of the Republic of Poland does not aim at a constructive resolution of the issue and deliberately takes the current conflict situation to the political level.