
The
Republic of Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...
and the
Republic of Belarus
A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...
established diplomatic relations on 2 March 1992. Poland was one of the first countries to recognise Belarusian independence. Both countries
share a border and have shared histories, for they have been part of the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi- confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Poland and Lithuania ...
and later, the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...
. They joined the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...
together in October 1945 as original members. The two countries are currently engaged in a
border crisis.
Cultural relations between the two are quite friendly but
diplomatic relations
Diplomacy comprises spoken or written communication by representatives of states (such as leaders and diplomats) intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. 1 ...
between the two countries are currently very strained. Poland is a member of
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
and the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been ...
, and has an anti-Russian stance, whereas Belarus has long been firmly pro-
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...
, and as such, the separate paths by default impair the positive bilateral relationship (see
Russia–European Union relations
Russian–European Union relations are the international relations between the European Union (EU) and Russia. Russia borders five EU member states: Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland; the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad is surrounde ...
). In August 2011, the arrest of
Ales Bialiatski
Ales Viktaravich Bialiatski ( be, Алесь Віктаравіч Бяляцкі, Alieś Viktaravič Bialiacki; born 25 September 1962) is a Belarusian pro-democracy activist and prisoner of conscience known for his work with the Viasna Human ...
using information from Poland led to a
harsh war of words between the two countries. However, in February 2017 some tensions arose between Belarus and Russia over
border
Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political bo ...
controls, and
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (as transliterated from Russian language, Russian; also transliterated from Belarusian language, Belarusian as Alyaksand(a)r Ryhoravich Lukashenka;, ; rus, Александр Григорьевич Лука� ...
expressed indignation at Russia's behaviour.
Relations between the two countries have since significantly deteriorated. In the lead-up to and during the
2020 Belarusian presidential election
Presidential elections were held in Belarus on Sunday, 9 August 2020. Early voting began on 4 August and ran until 8 August.
Incumbent Alexander Lukashenko was announced by the Central Election Commission (CEC) to have won a sixth term in offi ...
, a number of anti-government protests took place across the country. Belarusian authorities employed various methods of violent political crackdown, consisting of various humans rights violations; Poland strongly condemned the measures. Following
Lukashenko
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (as transliterated from Russian; also transliterated from Belarusian as Alyaksand(a)r Ryhoravich Lukashenka;, ; rus, Александр Григорьевич Лукашенко, Aleksandr Grigoryevich Luka ...
's alleged victory for a sixth term, the European Council on 19 August decided that the elections were neither free nor fair, therefore do not recognize the results. Poland and Lithuania became two of the first countries to officially back the Belarusian opposition. Angered by this posturing, Lukashenko claimed that Belarus had closed its EU borders and had deployed additional guards and troops. In August 2021, following a sudden influx of refugees coming from Belarus, Poland deployed 15,000 troops to guard the eastern frontier with Belarus. A standoff ensued between both armies, border guards and refugees caught in between. Poland had accused Belarus of engaging in hybrid warfare, to which Poland was accused of pushing back migrants by force. By 2022, Poland had finalized the construction of a state border barrier between the two countries. In the same year, a number of Home Army monuments in Belarus were purposely destroyed.
citation needed
" itation needed''" is a tag added by Wikipedia editors to unsourced statements in articles requesting citations to be added. The phrase is reflective of the policies of verifiability and no original research on Wikipedia and has become a ge ...
'']
Geography
Belarus and Poland share a Belarus-Poland border, common border (~418 km long) which is the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been ...
external border, which also splits the
primeval
Primeval may refer to:
* Primeval forest, an area of forest that has attained great age
* Primeval number, a positive integer satisfying certain conditions
* Primeval history, name given by biblical scholars to the first eleven chapters of the Bo ...
Białowieża Forest
Białowieża Forest; lt, Baltvyžių giria; pl, Puszcza Białowieska ; russian: Беловежская пуща, Belovezhskaya Pushcha is a forest on the border between Belarus and Poland. It is one of the last and largest remaining pa ...
between
Belarusian
Belarusian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to Belarus
* Belarusians, people from Belarus, or of Belarusian descent
* A citizen of Belarus, see Demographics of Belarus
* Belarusian language
* Belarusian culture
* Belarusian cuisine
* Byelor ...
and
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent
* Polish chicken
*Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
national parks.
Poles make up 3.9% of the population of Belarus according to the
1999 Belarus Census The 1999 Belarusian census was the first census in Belarus after it became an independent state after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Previous census data in the territory of Belarus may be found in Soviet censuses and the Russian Empire census ...
. There were 48,700
Belarusians in Poland
The Belarusian minority in Poland is composed of 47,000 people according to the Polish census of 2011.Przynależność narodowo-etniczna ludności – wyniki spisu ludności i mieszkań 2011'. GUS. Materiał na konferencję prasową w dniu 29. 01 ...
according to the
Polish census of 2002 Polish census of 2002 ( pl, Narodowy Spis Powszechny 2002) was a census in Poland taken from 21 May to 8 June 2002.
Results
*96% of surveyed declared Polish ethnicity; 1,23% other and 2,03% gave no answer.
Population by voivodeships
Source:
S ...
.
[Mniejszości narodowe i etniczne w Polsce]
on the pages of Polish Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration
Ministry of the Interior and Administration ( pl, Ministerstwo Spraw Wewnętrznych i Administracji) is an administration structure controlling main administration and security branches of the Polish government. After Parliamentary Election on 9 ...
. Link accessed 24 March 2009. Both minorities represent autochthonous populations of the region and are officially recognised by their host governments.
In 2009, a Belarusian
Su-27
The Sukhoi Su-27 (russian: Сухой Су-27; NATO reporting name: Flanker) is a Soviet-origin twin-engine supermaneuverable fighter aircraft designed by Sukhoi. It was intended as a direct competitor for the large US fourth-generation j ...
crashed at a Polish air show in
Radom
Radom is a city in east-central Poland, located approximately south of the capital, Warsaw. It is situated on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship (since 1999), having previously been the seat of a separate Radom Voivodeship (1975–1 ...
, killing both pilots.
Modern history
2020 Belarusian protests
Amidst the
2020 Belarusian protests and
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent
* Polish chicken
*Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
and
Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
* Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that i ...
calls for a renewed election, declaring the
2020 Belarusian presidential election
Presidential elections were held in Belarus on Sunday, 9 August 2020. Early voting began on 4 August and ran until 8 August.
Incumbent Alexander Lukashenko was announced by the Central Election Commission (CEC) to have won a sixth term in offi ...
invalid,
Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...
deployed troops near
Eastern Poland
Eastern Poland is a macroregion in Poland comprising the Lublin, Podkarpackie, Podlaskie, Świętokrzyskie, and Warmian-Masurian voivodeships.
The make-up of the distinct macroregion is based not only of geographical criteria, but also economic ...
.
After the forceful suppression of Belarusian protests, the main opposition challenger
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya
Sviatlana Heorhiyeuna Tsikhanouskaya (' Pilipchuk;, , ; russian: Светлана Георгиевна Тихановская, , Svetlana Georgiyevna Tikhanovskaya, , , born 11 September 1982) is a Belarusian educator and the leader of the Bel ...
fled the country to Poland, then to
Lithuania. The Polish government has allotted a villa in the
Praga-Południe
Praga-South ( pl, Praga-Południe, ) is a district of Warsaw located on the east bank of the Vistula River. It consists of Grochów, Gocław, Kamionek and Saska Kępa.
History
The area of today's Praga-South has been inhabited since at least ...
district of
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is official ...
for 10 years to be used by the Belarusian opposition. It has also given refuge to opposition leader
Valery Tsepkalo
)
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Grodno, Belarussian SSR, Soviet Union
, alma_mater = Moscow State Institute of International Relations
, occupation = Politician, diplomat, executive, and a tech entrepreneur
, ...
. Polish Prime minister
Mateusz Morawiecki
Mateusz Jakub Morawiecki (; born 20 June 1968) is a Polish economist, historian and politician who has served as prime minister of Poland since 2017. A member of Law and Justice (PiS), he previously served in the cabinet of prime minister Beata ...
has promised to provide help to the opposition, which angered president
Lukashenko
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (as transliterated from Russian; also transliterated from Belarusian as Alyaksand(a)r Ryhoravich Lukashenka;, ; rus, Александр Григорьевич Лукашенко, Aleksandr Grigoryevich Luka ...
and his allies. Poland is also hosting the Belarusian news channel
Nexta
Nexta (pronounced ''niekh-ta'', ) is a Belarusian media outlet that is primarily distributed through Telegram and YouTube channels. The YouTube channel was founded by then 17-year-old student Stsiapan Putsila. The channel's headquarters are loc ...
, which has played a key part in organizing the protests. The Morawiecki government has promised to give 11 million euros to Belarusian civil society and independent media.
Fallout of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 6 July 2022, scant months after the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine caused the announcement by the Morawiecki government of a major increase in funding for the Polish armed forces,
the
General Staff of the Armed Forces of Belarus
, native_name_a =
, native_name_r =
, type =
, seal = Эмблема Генерального штаба Вооруженных Сил Республики Беларусь.png
, seal_width = 150px
, seal_caption = Emblem of the General ...
noticed that Poland "has already repeatedly displayed its imperial ambitions and, with a support from the
SWhite House, positions itself as a leader, not only in Eastern, but in Central Europe as well."
Major-General
Ruslan Kosygin Ruslan may refer to:
* ''Ruslan'' (film), a 2009 film starring Steven Segal
* Ruslan (given name), male name used mainly in Slavic countries, with list of people
* Antonov An-124 ''Ruslan'', large Soviet cargo aircraft, later built in Ukraine and ...
continued: "The territory of Poland, as well as the Baltic countries, is turning into a polygon, where the USA plans to unleash another bloody conflict in Europe against the Russian Federation and its allies." He was concerned about "attempts by individual Polish politicians to initiate the return of the so-called Polish ancestral lands, which means the western regions of Ukraine and Belarus."
In 2022, Polish places of national remembrance were devastated or destroyed in Belarus, incl.
Home Army
The Home Army ( pl, Armia Krajowa, abbreviated AK; ) was the dominant Polish resistance movement in World War II, resistance movement in Occupation of Poland (1939–1945), German-occupied Poland during World War II. The Home Army was formed i ...
monument in
Stryjewka
Stryjewka (Belarusian: ''Стрыеўка, Stryjeŭka''; Russian: ''Стриевка''; Polish: ''Stryjówka'') is a village in Belarus, in the Voranava Raion of Grodno Region.
History
In the interwar period, the village was situated in Pola ...
, Home Army soldiers' quarters in
Mikulishki
Mikulishki ( be, Мікулішкі, Mikuliški; russian: Микулишки; russian: Mikuliszki) is a village in Ashmyany District, Grodno Region, Belarus. It is situated on the Merkys River.
History
In the interwar period, the village wa ...
, cemetery in
Surkanty, Home Army graves and commemorations in Bogdany (
Yewlashy
Yewlashy ( Belarusian: ''Еўлашы́, Jeŭlašy''; Russian: ''Евлаши''; Polish: ''Jewłasze'') is a village in Belarus, in the Shchuchyn Raion of Grodno Region.
History
In the interwar period, the village was situated in Poland, in ...
),
Bobravichy,
Vialikija Yodkavichy,
Vawkavysk
Vawkavysk ( be, Ваўкавы́ск, ; russian: Волковы́ск; pl, Wołkowysk; lt, Valkaviskas; yi, וואלקאוויסק; names in other languages) is one of the oldest towns in southwestern Belarus and the capital of the Vawkavysk ...
,
Dyndylishki,
Kachychy,
Iwye
Iwye ( be, Іўе ; lt, Yvija; russian: Ивье ; pl, Iwje; yi, איוויע ''Ivye'') is a city and former shtetl in Belarus in the Grodno Region, 158 km east of Grodno. It is a station on the railway line between Lida and Maladzyec ...
,
Pieskawtsy Pyeskawtsy ( be, Пескаўцы) or Peskovtsy (russian: Песковцы) may refer to the following places in Belarus:
* Pyeskawtsy, Lida District, an agrotown in Lida District, Grodno Region
* Pyeskawtsy, Voranava District, a village in Vor ...
,
Ashmyany
Ashmyany ( be, Ашмя́ны; Łacinka: ''Ašmiany''; russian: Ошмя́ны; lt, Ašmena; pl, Oszmiana; yi, אָשמענע, ''Oshmene'') is a town in Grodno Region, Belarus, located at 50 km from Vilnius. The town is Ashmyany Distri ...
and
Plebanishki.
On 10 October 2022, the Polish government recommended Polish citizens leave Belarus with available commercial and private means as the relationship between the two countries has become increasingly tense. The Polish government also claims the Polish minority in Belarus is experiencing increasing repression from the state, including the imprisonment of some community leaders.
Resident diplomatic missions
* Belarus has an embassy in
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is official ...
, a consulate-general in
Białystok
Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the tenth-largest city in Poland, second in terms of population density, and thirteenth in area.
Białystok is located in the Białystok Up ...
and a consulate in
Biała Podlaska
Biała Podlaska ( la, Alba Ducalis) is a city in eastern Poland with 56,498 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is situated in the Lublin Voivodeship (since 1999), having previously been the capital of Biała Podlaska Voivodeship (1975–1998). ...
.
* Poland has an embassy in
Minsk
Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative stat ...
and consulates-general in
Brest
Brest may refer to:
Places
*Brest, Belarus
** Brest Region
** Brest Airport
**Brest Fortress
*Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria
*Břest, Czech Republic
*Brest, France
**Arrondissement of Brest
** Brest Bretagne Airport
** Château de Brest
*Bre ...
and in
Grodno
Grodno (russian: Гродно, pl, Grodno; lt, Gardinas) or Hrodna ( be, Гродна ), is a city in western Belarus. The city is located on the Neman River, 300 km (186 mi) from Minsk, about 15 km (9 mi) from the Polish ...
.
File:Ambasada Białorusi w Warszawie ul. Wiertnicza 58.jpg, Embassy of Belarus in Warsaw
File:Consulate General of the Republic of Belarus in Białystok.jpg, Consulate-General of Belarus in Białystok
See also
*
2021 Belarus–European Union border crisis
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...
*
Belarus–EU relations
*
Belarus–Poland border
The Belarusian-Polish border is the state border between the Republic of Poland (EU member) and the Republic of Belarus (Union State). It has a total length of , or
*
Foreign relations of Belarus
The Byelorussian SSR was one of only two Soviet republics to be separate members of the United Nations (the other being the Ukrainian SSR). Both republics and the Soviet Union joined the UN when the organization was founded in 1945.
Prior to 20 ...
*
Foreign relations of Poland
The Republic of Poland is a Central European country and member of the European Union and NATO, among others. Poland wields considerable influence in Central and Eastern Europe and is a middle power in international affairs. The foreign policy of ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Belarus-Poland relations
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...
Bilateral relations of Poland