Poland in Libya

RECENT BORDER INCIDENTS:

Restrictions of entry to the border area based on an amendment of the act on protection of the state border, that entered into force on 1 December, will replace the restrictions under the state of emergency that will be lifted. Under this regulation the commander of a Border Guard post responsible for a given section of the border can permit access to the area in any justified case, in particular to journalists.

Throughout the month of November 2021, the Polish Border Guard recorded around 8 900 attempts to illegally cross the Polish-Belarusian border. In October (the pic month of the crisis) 17 500 attempts were recorded, in September – 7 700 and in August – 3 500 attempts. The attacks on the Polish border coordinated by Belarusian services includes throwing stones on Polish troops, using lasers and flashlights, destroying the wire fence and  breaching border protections by using platforms thrown over the fence. Despite the fact that the nature of attempts of illegal border crossing has clearly changed, the situation at the Polish-Belarusian border is far from being normalized and remains tense.

Throughout last week Polish forces have prevented numerous attempts to forcibly cross the Polish border by big groups of migrants supervised and coordinated by the Belarusian services. In a short video posted on the Nexta channel, a Belarusian officer instructing migrants to throw various objects at Polish services, including bottles and stones, can be clearly heard. The officer also informs migrants that they will be equipped with knives and other dangerous tools to attack Polish uniformed services in unprotected places - neck, armpits, legs and arms. At the same time he claims that the Polish services will not shoot them, and if they will, there will only be shots in the air.

• 04.12.2021 – 43 attempts of the illegal border crossing from Belorussia to Poland were recorded. In the vicinity of Dubicze Cerkiewne. A group of 30 migrants attempted to forcibly cross the border.
• 03.12.2021 – Belarusian services several times damaged the wire fence (concertina) in the vicinity of Michałów and Czeremcha. While trying fo fix it, Polish troops were blinded by lasers and flashlights. In the evening, in the vicinity of Czeremcha a group of 40 migrants was stopped. Additionally, 62 attempts of the illegal border crossing were recorded that day. Allegedly 9 Iraqi citizens (men between 20 and 30 years old) were stopped during an attempt of an illegal border crossing between Poland and Germany. The driver of a delivery truck transporting the migrants –Turkish citizen will face legal consequences.
• 02.12.2021 – the illegal stay of 3 Syrian citizens who had been accommodated in Poland for several days was revealed. 46 attempts of illegal border crossing were recorded, including attempts of forcibly border crossings in the vicinity of Narewka and Czeremcha. The attacks on Polish troops included throwing stones, wooden pieces, tree branches and metal tubes.
• 01.12.2021 – 58 attempts of illegal border crossing were recorded. In the vicinity of Terespol, illuminating masts placed by Polish soldiers at the border with Belarus were fired upon. The spotlights were destroyed as a result of the shots from pneumatic weapons. The firing was conducted from the territory of Belarus.

According to various Belarusian open sources, one can estimate that approx. 2.5 to 4 thousand migrants remain in the forests on Belarusian side of the border. About 2 thousand are currently staying in the logistics centre near Bruzgi. The video posted on the channel shows migrants covered in snow in the Belarusian forest.

Russian airline Nordwind will start operating on 2 December 2021 between Moscow and Grodno, 3 times a week, by plane Embraer E190 with a capacity of 110 seats.

• To follow up-to-date information on the situation on the Polish-Belarussian border, we encourage you to visit the special website: https://www.gov.pl/web/border.
• Also the public broadcaster Radio Poland has launched a special English-language coverage of the migrant crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border, entitled "Focus on the Border": https://www.polskieradio.pl/395/9610.
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DIPLOMATIC ACTIONS UNDERTAKEN BY POLAND’s OFFICIALS

The Polish government is in constant contact with the European Commission, NATO and Frontex, which is constantly supporting our efforts in the field of analysts, satellite imagery and border monitoring. Poland is also in constant consultation with Lithuania and Latvia, which are also victims of hybrid attack A. Lukashenko.

29.11.2021, the Presidents of the countries of Visegrad Group gathered in Budapest issued a joint statement expressing their full solidarity with Poland, Lithuania and Latvia who face hybrid attacks at their borders with Belarus, and emphasizing the full responsibility of the Belorussian authorities for the life of the people they have brought to their country and for resolving their humanitarian situation.

The situation on the Polish-Belarussian border and the hybrid action against Poland have been the subject of talks:

• 04.12.2021 - In a wide-ranging interview, Poland's PM Mateusz Morawiecki, told the BBC's Europe editor, Katya Adler, that NATO allies needed to join the dots between the issues and work together to diminish the power of the Russian and Belarussian leaders to destabilise the region. Mateusz Morawiecki told the BBC recent events showed the Kremlin and allies wanted to "change the geopolitical system" and "disunite" the EU. He cited a build-up of Russian forces near Ukraine, soaring gas prices and a crisis on Poland's border with Belarus. Mr Morawiecki also called on NATO for more help in the region, and discusses his government's dispute with Brussels https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0012yq5.
• 03 .12.2021- Military engineers from Estonia and the UK have arrived to Poland. They will begin the implementation of tasks on the Polish - Belarussian border. Estonian soldiers will  build and repair a temporary fence. 
• 03.12.2021 – PM Mateusz Morawiecki met with PM Viktor Orban in Warsaw. The talks focused on security issues in the region in the context of the current situation at the Polish-Belarusian border of the European Union and eastern Ukraine.
• 03.12.2021 - A Press Centre for correspondents who report on the situation at the Polish-Belarusian border of the European Union has been opened. Read more: https://gov.pl/web/border/press-centre-at-the-polish-belarusian-border-of-the-european-union.
• 02.12.2021 – Political consultations between the Polish Deputy FM Marcin Przydacz and his Ukrainian counterpart Mycola Tochytskyi were held. Ministers discussed the security situation in the region, Lukashenko's hybrid attack on the borders, the situation on energy markets and Russia's aggressive approach.
• 02.12.2021 – On the sidelines of the OSCEMC2021, Polish FM Zbigniew Rau met with the leader of Belarusian civil society, Swietlana Tshihanouskaya.
• 01.12.2021 – Polish FM Zbigniew Rau participated in NATO Foreign Minister’s meeting in Riga. After the meeting Z. Rau said: “"NATO must send a clear message that any aggression is unacceptable and that the Alliance is ready to take decisive deterrence to ensure the security of its members".
• 01.12.2021 – At a meeting in Riga Polish FM Zbigniew Rau and the UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss  discussed the situation at the Belarussian border, Russia’s threat to Ukraine, NordStream2 and the Polish – British bilateral issues.

The previous diplomatic actions taken by Poland have been successful – at present, much fewer migrants are arriving in Belarus.

 

6 December 2021