Sikorski had meeting with Martynau: “Belarusian samogon and bison’s liver are very interesting experience”

Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski had a meeting with head of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affaires Syarhei Martynau in Viskuli at night September 12.

Summarising the results of the visit, Mr Sikorski said “it is time to notice positive changes in the Belarusian policy and answer with good initiatives to good initiatives,” Radio Svaboda reports.

A helicopter with the Polish delegation landed in Warsaw an hour and a half later the scheduled time. Minister Sikorski said the reason was Belarusian hospitability: “Belarusian samogon (home-distilled alcohol) and bison’s liver are a very interesting experience,” he said.

According to minister Sikorski, one of the toasts, proposed by the Belarusian and Polish diplomats in Viskuli, was to common victory of Polish and Belarusian knights over the Turkish troops near Vienna the anniversary of this famous battle was marked yesterday.

However, as the Polish minister said, it was not only history that united the Poles and the Belarusians:

“Poland considers Belarus to be its European neighbour. Martynau said Belarus makes no pretence to membership in the European Union, but wants their relations with the EU to be closer,” Sikorski said.

“New prospects of coming to the Belarusian market, which is on a different level, are open for Polish enterprises and banks. The Belarusian economy would use our experience in economic reforms and our new, but strong economic relations in the European Union.”

Martynau and Sikorski also spoke about possible simplification of visa regime between the countries, small inter-border movement and Polish Charter, as well as about possible participation of the Belarusian foreign minister in the meeting of EU foreign ministers.

According to Sikorski, cooperation in these directions can develop actively only under one condition:

“Naturally, a necessary condition of rapprochement of Belarus and Poland, Belarus and the European Union is further course of democratisation. I believe that a step, I have made today, will strengthen this direction.”

Minister Sikorski is to present the information about the results of visit to Belarus at the session of the European Foreign Policy Council.

Radoslaw Sikorski also said the EU continues discussing lifting of sanctions against the Belarusian regime:

“As for today, if nothing unrespectable happens, we speak about whether we do it in the nearest days or in the nearest weeks.”