Poland will open its borders and labour market to Belarusians as well as step up support for civil society and independent media after Minsk’s crackdown on people protesting against the rigged election that returned President Alexander Lukashenko to power.
“Security, openness and solidarity are the three pillars of the plan concerning Poland's solidarity with the Belarusian society. Our country will allocate PLN50mn (€11.37mn) for the implementation of the programme in the first year. These will be additional funds on top of those allocated by Poland to other programmes related to Belarus,” Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said.
In line with the proposal, Poland will support opposition activists persecuted by the Lukashenko regime, launch a scholarship programme for scientists and students expelled from universities, make it easier for Belarusians to travel to Poland and work there, and support independent media and NGOs.
“Our actions will not interfere with our neighbour's internal affairs. We can and should extend a helping hand to Belarusians. We also call on the Belarusian authorities to consider new elections, which must be fair and with the support of international observers,” Morawiecki said.
There are estimated 300,000-1.2mn Poles and people of Polish origin in Belarus. There also is a Belarusian minority in Poland of some 50,000 people.
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