July 18, Pozirk. Warsaw uses the transit of Chinese goods to blackmail Minsk, Belarusian Foreign Minister Maksim Ryžankoŭ told the state-run ONT TV channel, commenting on Poland’s threats to close the only border crossing handling cargo traffic between both countries.
“During my trip [to China in June], we shared several documents and detailed the situation at the border,” he said. The Chinese side accepted the explanation, losing “any interest in intrigues,” the diplomat noted.
Ryžankoŭ described the June visit by Polish President Andrzej Duda to China as an attempt to influence Minsk to “solve its issues with Poland.”
Duda accused Belarus of obstructing China’s Belt and Road initiative by sponsoring the illegal migration crisis, following an earlier announcement of plans to close the border with Belarus for cargo traffic.
Warsaw decided to “hold everyone hostage,” as cargo traffic disruptions affect both companies in the European Union and their Chinese partners, Ryžankoŭ noted.
“This theme will disappear as soon as they see that it does not work.. . . They will be forced to cooperate with us after all,” the diplomat said.
Three days ago, Minsk confirmed its readiness to discuss the migration crisis with Warsaw after China urged the two countries to resolve their differences through dialogue.
The migration crisis at the Belarusian-EU border started in spring 2021 after Alaksandar Łukašenka, angered by EU sanctions, had indicated that Minsk would not prevent migrants from Africa and Asia from using Belarus as a route to the EU.
Belarus’ western neighbors call the migration crisis a “hybrid attack” orchestrated by Minsk and Moscow.
