Belarus in the World Community

Dear listeners, you’re tuned to Radio Belarus International. This is Belarus in the World Community project dedicated to Belarus’ international cooperation. The topic of our today's program is Belarus-Poland relations.

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Belarus wants to leverage the strategic partnership potential with the European Union. Extensive mutual agenda is determined by a set of geographical, geopolitical, historical and other factors.

Belarus’ key foreign economic goals in relations with EU are to increase our exports and attract more investments.

While building up mutually advantageous cooperation with EU, Belarus strictly sticks to the principle of accurate and responsible performance of international duties.

Belarus’ major priorities in relations with Europe are to intensify partnership with European countries in trade and investments, transportation, transit, to encourage simpler visa regime and closer cooperation in environmental protection.

Belarus is a reliable partner of the European Union not only in the aspect of maintaining social and economic stability of the region but also in such strategically important issues as ensuring military and political security, energy and environmental safety, crime control, fight against drug- and human-trafficking.

Belarus stands for the development of an equitable dialogue and comprehensive cooperation with the European Commission and the EU Member States, including through the Eastern Partnership program.

Belarus’ long-term objective is to secure a balanced and mutually beneficial cooperation with European Union in general and Poland in particular.

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And now our today's guest Sergei Kizima, Head of the International Relations Department at the Academy of Public Administration under the aegis of the President of Belarus will tell us more about Belarus-Poland relations.

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“Fortunately, since 2014 Belarus-Poland relations undergo renaissance, because in 2011-2013 there was a lot of bickering between our states. In 2014 though Warsaw declared an interest in repairing relations with Minsk. Since then the number and frequency of high and highest level meetings has been increasing. As a result, now we have strong interparliamentary ties. I’ve participated in such meetings myself, they’re always interesting and informative. I’d say that in terms of establishing good neighborly and mutually beneficial relations our countries are on the right track. It’s only natural our countries cooperate so tightly, because they’re united by centuries of common history. After gaining independence in 1991 the Republic of Belarus treated Poland with respect and never interfered in its internal affairs. The same is true for Poland in the last five years or so. Mutual respect is the only way to build strong, positive relations in the modern world. Back in 1997-98 Belarus President introduced Good Neighborly Belt initiative, which encompassed Poland. Our western neighbor is now part of the European Union, while our country is a member of the Eurasian Economic Union. On the one hand it creates additional tensions between us, on the other hand it opens the way for new opportunities, i.e. both our countries are obliged to mind our integration unions’ point of view on non-member states, but at the same time Belarus and Poland are EU and EAEU’s trading outposts in Europe. Due to its geographic location and industrial potential, our country has great potential for influencing trade flows in the entire EU-EAEU border region. Another touchpoint is our countries’ cooperation with China. PRC’s Belt and Road initiative is extremely profitable for us, because the number of containers from China to Europe increases every year. In 2018 over 300,000 Chinese containers passed through Belarus, but by 2025 their number is expected to grow to 1 million. This huge potential is another incentive for our countries to cooperate and negotiate on problematic issues. In terms of culture, I wish Belarus and Poland hadn’t quarreled about the nationality of certain famous cultural figures, because to my mind they’re equally important for both our countries. Instead of tug-of-warring them, we’d better acknowledge that they belong to both our cultures and celebrate their achievements together. In general though, I’d say that the best strategy for Belarus-Poland relations is to look for common ground instead of petty differences. Speaking about trade and economy, 2018 was a successful year for us, because now Belarus has a positive trade balance with Poland. Belarusian export rose by 27% to $140.5 million. The best thing about it is that it facilitates creation of new jobs. Belarus is also interested in Polish investments because Poland is a major European player boasting impressive economic potential and foreign capital. Currently, the bulk of our western neighbor’s investments is directed at Belarusian logistic centers and building materials. In turn, we’d like to cooperate more tightly in hi-tech, engineering, and joint ventures spheres.” 

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And now more on Belarus-Poland cooperation.

Belarus and Poland have plans to sign an inter-parliamentary cooperation agreement in 2020. The matter was discussed at the meeting of Vice Chairman of the House of Representatives of Belarus Boleslav Pirshtuk with Deputy Marshal of the Polish Sejm Ryszard Terlecki.

The draft agreement has already been drawn. It is expected to be signed next year, because this year Belarus and Poland will have parliamentary elections. Boleslav Pirshtuk called the agreement a logical outcome of the constructive work of the two parliaments.

Describing bilateral inter-parliamentary ties, Boleslav Pirshtuk noted that for the past three years Belarus and Poland established “very good, close and, most importantly, regular contacts”. “We have made significant progress,” he said.

The vice-speaker noted that the parties built good and trustful relations in international organizations, such as the OSCE PA and PACE. “All this naturally contributes to our rapprochement with the European Union. In this regard, Poland is a good link between the European Union and us,” Boleslav Pirshtuk said.

The parties also discussed investment, business contacts and joint projects.

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Poland hopes to be on a par with Belarus as a host for the European Games, Deputy Marshal of the Polish Sejm Ryszard Terlecki continued.

According to Ryszard Terlecki, this matter is important for the Polish side. “We want to run the European Games in Poland in the same great way as Minsk did,” he said.

The Polish delegation will tour Myadel District and Glubokoye District where they will meet with local authorities to discuss cooperation in tourism, among other things. “In this regard, we welcome Belarus’ decision to expand the visa waiver program,” Ryszard Terlecki said.

Vice Chairman of the House of Representatives of Belarus Boleslav Pirshtuk believes that Belarus’ experience of hosting the European Games will be useful for Poland. Speaking about partnerships in the tourism industry, he noted that the expansion of the visa-free area creates new cooperation opportunities.

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The National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (NASB) and the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN) will set up an inter-academic council that will address environmental issues and deal with protection of Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Chairman of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Vladimir Gusakov said at session to discuss cooperation with the Polish Academy of Sciences.

Taking part in the session was a delegation of the Polish Academy of Sciences led by its President Professor Jerzy Duszynski. According to Vladimir Gusakov, cooperation with Poland is of particular importance for the NASB, as Poland is a country with significant scientific and economic potential and Belarus has built strong ties with it in all the areas, including science and technology. The establishment of a joint standing council will allow promptly addressing routine and pressing environmental issues.

Researchers from the NASB and the PAN jointly participate in various international exhibitions, regularly hold international forums and conferences. The joint sci-tech projects they run are very important for the economy of Poland and Belarus. “However, this collaboration lags behind its true potential,” Vladimir Gusakov believes.

The president of the Polish Academy of Sciences emphasized that contacts with Belarusian researchers are of great value. The two countries face common issues. One of them is preservation of Belovezhskaya Pushcha which is a national asset of Belarus and Poland. Climate change is another area of concern.

The parties agreed that the inter-academic council will prioritize Belovezhskaya Pushcha flora and fauna conservation and climate change mitigation. In the future it might also address other issues, which will facilitate academic partnerships between the two states. The heads of the two academies of sciences pointed to considerable potential for building ties across various fields of expertise. They also discussed a possibility to implement joint projects as part of Horizon 2020, the EU’s research and innovation program, and to hold joint events every year.

The president of the Polish Academy of Sciences was awarded the Ignatovsky Badge of Honor by the NASB.

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Polish companies have accounted for over 59% of the total export of low-grade raw wood via the Belarusian Universal Commodity Exchange (BUCE), BUCE spokesman Roman Yaniv said.

“A total of 252,000 cubic meters of these products worth €5.5 million have been sold to foreign markets via BUCE transactions since June 2019. Apart from Poland, the top three buyers of the Belarusian timber products include Lithuania and Latvia that accounted for 22.5% and 14.7% of purchases respectively,” Roman Yaniv said.

Taking part in transactions in the timber section were residents of 11 countries, including Austria, Hungary, Germany, Moldova, Slovakia, Turkey, the Czech Republic and Estonia. Softwood timber was the most sought-after product.

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