A letter from Belarusian ambassador. Request or threat?

This question worries Polish MEP Marek Migalski, who received an odd letter from a Lukashenka’s diplomat.

Marek Migalski, a Law and Justice MEP, says in his blog members of the European Parliament received letters from Belarus’s Ambassador to Poland Viktar Haisyanok ahead of voting on a resolution on Belarus.

“As the deputy head of the EP delegation for relations with Belarus I have repeatedly demanded that human rights should be observed in Belarus. I received a letter from the ambassador of Belarus to Poland some days ago,” Migalski writes in the article titled “A Letter from Belarus’s Ambassador. Threat?”

The MEP offers the text of Viktar Haisyanok’s letter (translated from Polish by charter97.org):

“Dear Mr Migalski,

The Republic of Belarus is concerned over the information from Brussels about an intention of the MEPs to vote on a resolution on Belarus at the nearest session of the European Parliament.

We regret to note that it seems to us that these intentions were caused by biased coverage of the situation with Polish minority in Belarus by the Polish mass media.

At the same time, we’d also like to turn you attention to the fact that the Poland–Belarus dialogue on this issue goes on. One of the main signals of the dialogue is the meeting between President of the Republic of Belarus Lukashenka and Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski in Kyiv on February 25. The parties agreed on creation of a Polish–Belarusian expert group to solve the problem. Sikorski called on the media and politicians to refrain from any influences on the experts of the group, which is to start work soon.

In this context, adoption of the EP resolution won’t be the right step amid the group’s activity as well as amid the Poland–Belarus and Belarus–EU dialogues. We are convinced that the resolution, regardless its content, won’t have a positive impact on the group’s activity and won’t facilitate settling the problem of the Polish minority in Belarus.

We hope that worrying about well-being of Poles in Belarus, you will refrain from taking hasty decisions and will use objective information about the issue and base on interest of Belarusian citizens, including citizens of Polish origin, and the bilateral relations between our countries when considering questions related to Belarus in the European Parliament.

Let me take and opportunity to express my deep respect to you.

Yours respectfully,

Viktar Haisyanok

Ambassador of the Republic of Belarus to Poland”

Marek Migalski comments on the letter of Lukashenka’s diplomat:

“Do you also think the two last paragraphs contain a veiled threat: if MEPs vote against interests of the regime in Minsk, the state of Poles in Belarus can deteriorate? This is how I understand the remarks. Of course, this has by no means influenced my decision, but has given an occasion to make sure again that Lukashenka regards Belarusian citizens of Polish origin like hostages,” the MEP said.

We remind that the resolution condemning the state of the civil society and national minorities in Belarus was passed in the European Parliament by majority vote on March 10. The document notes that further human rights violations can lead to revising a EU’s position on Belarus and returning to sanctions.

In the photo: Ambassador of Belarus to Poland Viktar Haisyanok