Polish diplomats can lose embassy building in Minsk

Poland takes over the EU presidency on July 1, but its start was marked by domestic problems for the Polish diplomatic mission in Belarus.

Diplomats were asked to vacate the building in Rumyantsev Street in Minsk that the Polish embassy has been renting for many years. The official reason is expiring the rental period.

“Did the Belarusian party offer other variants to locate the mission or maybe Poland decided to build own residence in Minsk?” the newspaper “Narodnaya Volya” asked Polish Ambassador to Belarus Leszek Szerepka.

“We have such plans, but I think it’s highly unlikely that we could fulfill them in the nearest time. We need time, from 3 to 4 years,” the diplomat said. “When I arrived in Minsk, I was informed that the embassy must evict. This gave us a problem. The property market is not so developed in Belarus. It’s difficult to find a place for the embassy. It is practically impossible to find such premises in the centre, because they are occupied by municipal services and governmental bodies. Frankly speaking, I tried to talk to the Belarusian MFA and tried to arrange a meeting in the Presidential Administration. We sent the note two months ago, but we have not received any answer yet. Anyway, we will try to solve this situation.”