Poland considers complete closure of border with Belarus

Warsaw is studying what kind of impact the closure of border crossings with Belarus will have on the economy and local communities. 

Source: Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski on TVN24 

Details: When asked if there was anything Poland could expect to do regarding Belarus, he replied that "we still have border crossings".

Quote from Sikorski: "We are now studying what consequences this will have for our economy and local communities." 

More details: He noted that, for example, "the Finns have closed the border crossings with Russia, and the traffic has stopped". 

Sikorski also stressed that what is happening on Poland's eastern border "is now an operation fully controlled by the Russian and Belarusian services". 

He said what is particularly striking is that these people are being instructed by officers of the Belarusian state on how to hit a Polish soldier, a Polish border guard, even when they are wearing body armour. He stressed that this is absolutely unacceptable.

Sikorski noted that "we will make a decision after analysing this impact so that Lukashenko feels [the consequences of] their action, not us." 

Background: 

• On 6 June, it became known that a border guard died in Poland after being stabbed near the village of Dubicze Cerkiewne when migrants were trying to break through from Belarus.
• On 28 May, a group of about 50 foreigners threw branches and stones at Polish patrols near the border checkpoint in the village of Dubicze Cerkiewne. As the migrants attempted to cross the border by force, one of them stabbed a Polish soldier.
• On 10 June, the Polish government supported the proposal of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration to establish a temporary buffer zone on the border with Belarus.
• A note of protest was handed over to the Belarusian Charge d'Affaires in connection with the death of a Polish border guard, demanding that the Belarusian authorities identify the killer and hand him over to the Polish authorities.

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