Poland in Libya

The Lukashenko regime continues its aggressive hybrid operation against Poland and the EU. Belarusian services continue to escalate the situation on the border with Poland. Further attempts to cross the border illegally are reported every day. During these attempts Polish officers and soldiers are attacked by aggressive groups of migrants, supported by the Belarusian services. Foreigners led by Belarusian security services are constantly looking for new ways to break into the West. The Polish Border Guard records that the apprehended foreigners hold different nationalities.

The border events are accompanied by aggressive information activities aimed at proving that Poland is responsible for creating the migration crisis, and that Polish border defenders pose a threat to the security of the entire region.

Migratory movements are usually dampened by winter months and bad weather conditions. The migration pressure on Europe is expected to increase in the spring time. It will also mean more interest in traveling to the EU via Belarus. In a few months, the Belarusian services may again conduct their actions against Poland in a massive way.

The use of migrants as weapons by the regime of A. Lukashenko is only an element of a wider plan. The aim is to create divisions among NATO and EU states and societies and deepen them later on. Russia has been manipulating its relations with NATO for years, lying about the alleged guarantees of non-expansion to the East which were supposed to be provided to Moscow. Similar lies are being spread regarding the alleged promises of no military presence on the NATO eastern flank. On the contrary, the Russian military build-up around the borders with Ukraine is a strong indicator that the security of the NATO eastern flank is at present essential to the whole Alliance.

 

RECENT BORDER INCIDENTS:

• 18.01.2022 – The provocations of the Belarusian services on the Belarusian-Polish border continue. In the vicinity of Płaska, Polish patrols noticed an unusual behaviour of the Belarusian services. The Belarusian soldiers removed the shield with the state emblem from one of their border posts and walked away into the Belarusian territory. After a few hours, they returned and began photographing the scene. In the afternoon, the Belarusian border services reported to the Polish Border Guard Unit in Podlasie that the shield with the Belarusian state emblem was damaged by the Polish side, but refused to clarify the event. In the evening the Belarusian media published a message informing about the damage of the Belarusian border mark by the Polish side. The Polish services noticed that the Belarusian shields with the state emblem were missing for several days also on three other border marks. It’s an example of provocation intended to exacerbate the situation on the border.
• 18.01.2022 – In the vicinity of Mielnik, a group of 32 foreigners attempted to forcibly enter the Polish territory. Uniformed Belarusian services actively participated in the incident, helping the foreigners to break through the border protections. Stones and elements of the border fence were thrown at the Polish soldiers. All illegal migrants who managed to enter the Polish territory were captured in the immediate vicinity of the border. The group included citizens of Syria, Egypt, Eritrea, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen and Turkey.
• 19.01.2022 – The Polish Border Guard recorded 38 attempts to cross the border illegally. A group of 30 foreigners assisted by the Belarusian services attempted to forcibly cross the border. Stones were thrown at Polish patrols. One of the Polish soldiers was hit by a stone on the head. Injured, was hospitalized. All foreigners (nationals of Iraq, Guinea, Pakistan, Syria and India) were detained and returned to the state border.
• 20.01.2022 – The Polish Border Guard recorded 56 illegal migrants attempting to cross the Belarusian-Polish border. In the vicinity of Płaska, 13 citizens of Iraq entered the Polish territory by crossing the frozen border lake Wiązowiec. Other illegal migrants were detained in the vicinity of Michałów, Czeremcha and Mielnik (nationals of Iraq, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Yemen and Syria).
• 21.01.2022 – The Polish Border Guard recorded 87 illegal migrants attempting to cross the border in the vicinity of Michałów and Czeremcha. The group of foreigners actively assisted by the Belarusian services who managed to enter the Polish territory included 18 citizens of Iraq, 3 nationals of Turkey, 17 Syrian nationals, 7 nationals of Yemen and 1 national of Sri Lanka. Stones and wooden branches were thrown at Polish soldiers.
• 22.01.2022 – 6 foreigners attempted to cross the border illegally. In the vicinity of Dubicze Cerkiewne 3 people (citizens of Guinea, Ghana and Cuba) were stopped. They managed to cut the border fence and enter the Polish territory.
• 23.01.2022 – 20 people including 3 national of Ghana attempted to cross the border illegally in the vicinity of Czeremcha. As usually, they were assisted by the Belarusian services.

 

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;
• a special English-language coverage of the migrant crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border, entitled "Focus on the Border",  lunched by the public broadcaster Radio Poland: https://www.polskieradio.pl/395/9610.

 

DIPLOMATIC ACTIONS UNDERTAKEN BY POLAND’s OFFICIALS:

The situation on the Polish-Belarussian border and the hybrid action against Poland has been the subject of the following actions:

• 24 January - Dep. FM Paweł Jabłoński took part in the Foreign Affairs Council. Ministers discussed European security situation, focusing on  Russian military build-up around Ukraine and situation in Belarus & Kazakhstan. He said: “The Council discussed the measures that EU can use to deter further Russian aggression. EU member states also have sent a powerful message of transatlantic unity in the face of Russia threats”. An exchange of views with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken was also held.
• 20 -21 January - Two-day consultations between the presidents of Poland and Ukraine took place in Wisła. The talks focused on the security situation in our region and the threats posed by Russia. President A. Duda said that Ukraine could count on the support of Poland, which rejected the concept of spheres of influence and advocates full Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine.
• January 20 - Consultations of advisers from the B9 countries (Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovakia and Hungary) with the adviser to the US president, Jake Sullivan, were focused on possible Russian aggression against Ukraine.
• 19 January - Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki met with Oliver Varhelyi, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement. The talks focused on the situation in Belarus and Ukraine and the EU Eastern neighbourhood. Poland is a strong advocate of the Western Balkans’ integration into the EU.
• 19 January - On behalf of Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, who is the OSCE current Chairperson-in-Office, Minister of National Defence Mariusz Błaszczak held a joint phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell. The aim of the meeting was to lay the groundwork for further diplomatic steps in order to find a solution to the tense situation around Ukraine.
• 19 January - The Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki hosted the Latvian PM Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš during his visit to Warsaw. The meeting topics covered the current EU's agenda, bilateral issues and challenges in eastern policy and regional security, with particular emphasis on the situation in Ukraine and Belarus. Polish PM said: “The pressure from Russia is increasing, so our response to what is happening around Ukraine and on NATO's eastern flank must be firm. No concessions can be made by NATO to Russia's blackmail, including gas blackmail.”
• 18 January - Poland, Ukraine and the UK strengthen cooperation in the face of security threats in the Central and Eastern Europe. Deputy FMs pf Poland, Ukraine and the UK discussed the prospect of trilateral cooperation.
• 18 January - Coordination of readmission policy and situation at Belarusian border was discussed during  videoconference by dep. FM Paweł JabIonski  together with Lithuanian dep. FM Mantas Adomėnas, and  representatives of the Latvian MFA and DG HomeAffairs.
• 18 January - Polish FM Zbigniew Rau met Pavel Latushka, leader of the Belarusian opposition, chairman of the National Anti-Crisis Management. They discussed situation in Belarus as well as Polish support for the democratization of the country.
• 18 January - Deputy FM M. Przydacz in an interview with the Polish Radio said in his that the situation on the border with Belarus was still tense, although not like last autumn. He added: “we will strengthen the border building a fence and all the time we are talking with partners about Belarus”.
• 17 January - Plans for the Polish OSCE Chairmanship, international situation and security issues were the topics of yet another recent phone call between Polish FM Zbigniew Rau and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.

The diplomatic actions taken by Poland have been successful – at present, much fewer migrants are arriving in Belarus comparing to the previous period, although the situation at the Polish-Belarusian border remains difficult and tense. Additionally, recent days have been marked with a renewed activity of smugglers implicated in organizing and managing the artificial migratory route from Belarus to the West. It’s yet another factor that indicates that the influx of illegal migrants is highly likely to intensify in the months to come.

24 January 2022