Polish Ambassador Leszek Szerepka ends his mission in Minsk

The mission of Poland's Ambassador to Belarus Leszek Szerepka, who started his work in Belarus in 2011, expires today.

Polish-Belarusian relations improve, but a lot of work is still to be done, the Polish ambassador to Belarus, who ends his mission in Minsk, says about the relations between the two countries.

Leszek Szerepka said it in an interview with Polskie Radio, Radio Svaboda reports.

The ambassador drew attention to a more active dialogue between Warsaw and Minsk in the past few years. Unfortunately, the local border traffic regime with Belarus wasn't introduced, and some problems remain with historical issues and Polish ethnic minority issues. “A part of the Poles who actively work here do not have a legal representation,” the ambassador noted.

Asked about his successor, Leszek Szerepka said a new ambassador shouldn't forget that Belarus is Poland's neighbour, and relations with the neighbour must always be special.

Leszek Szerepka was appointed ambassador of Poland to Belarus in 2011. He had worked as a deputy ambassador to Ukraine and first secretary at the Polish embassy in Russia.

Leszek Szerepka repeatedly called on the Belarusian authorities to release political prisoners and respect human rights.