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Belarusian President Aleksander Lukashenko said he is seeking to improve relations with Poland, amid heightened tensions over border issues between the two countries.
The Belarusian dictator said Minsk should avoid souring relations with Western countries, adding that Belarus “should not discard contacts with the high-tech West,” according to a report by Belarusian news agency Belta.
“Now we make money mainly in the East: in Russia, in China. But we should not discard contacts with the high-tech West. They are close, the European Union is our neighbor. And we should maintain contact with them. We are ready to do that, but we have to give due consideration to our own interests,” he said on Friday, according to Belta.
“We need to talk to the Poles. I told the prime minister to contact them. If they want, we can talk, mend our relations. We are neighbors, and this cannot be chosen, neighbors are given by God,” Lukashenko said.
Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Paweł Jabłoński dismissed Lukashenko’s comments as “empty words.”
The Polish government is increasing its military presence on the border with Belarus, as Warsaw is concerned about the presence of Russian mercenaries in the neighboring country and increased illegal immigration from Belarus.
Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said in a radio interview on Thursday that 10,000 soldiers will be stationed in the border area with Belarus in a move “to deter the aggressor.” The minister cited multiple “provocations” by Belarus, including the violation of Polish airspace and an increase in attempts to illegally cross the border.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki revealed the presence of more than 100 mercenaries of the Wagner Group in the border area in late July.
