Polish Prime Minister Matusz Morawiecki on Thursday (November 18) warned against holding direct talks with Belarus on the unprecedented immigration crisis on the Polish border, saying it would “legitimate” the regime.
Moravitsky made a speech after German Chancellor Angela Merkel called Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. This is the strongman’s first phone call with a Western leader since he suppressed large-scale anti-government protests last year.
Merkel also talked to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the border crisis. Thousands of immigrants — mainly from the Middle East — tried to enter the European Union from Belarus.
Morawiecki told reporters: “We must realize that any direct talks with Lukashenko are suitable for him, because it legitimizes his regime.”
Neighbor Lithuania, which borders Belarus, also warned against direct contact with Lukashenko.
“This is a dangerous path because when we negotiate with someone, we always want us to be consistent, and we are negotiating in legal language,” said Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis.
“But dictators don’t abide by the law, so even if we reach an agreement, it doesn’t mean they will abide by it,” he added.
The West accuses Lukashenko of luring migrants to the Polish border in retaliation for the sanctions imposed by the European Union on his regime after suppressing protests last year.
Lukashenko and his main ally Putin denied these allegations and criticized the EU for not accepting immigrants seeking to cross the border into Poland.
Members of Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party have been criticizing Germany’s attempts to find a solution to the immigration crisis.
Morawiecki said that he talked to Merkel after talking to Lukashenko on Wednesday and emphasized that “any deal that may be related to Poland and the whole situation cannot be concluded without our participation.”
“Without us, we have nothing. It is clear that the Prime Minister accepted it,” he added.
Polish President Andrzej Duda also raised this point. He told reporters on Wednesday: “We are a sovereign country and have the right to decide for themselves. We will defend this right indiscriminately.”
Former Polish Prime Minister and PiS member Beata Szydlo criticized Merkel on Twitter for “talking to Minsk and Moscow alone.”
“This behavior is reminiscent of the worst moment in history, when Central European countries were only seen as objects of political trade,” Szydlo tweeted.
“Poland cannot agree with Germany’s actions.”
