Poland reopens two border crossings with Belarus
Poland has resumed cross-border traffic via two key road crossings in Bobrowniki and Kuznica on the Belarusian border, closed for years due to security incidents and political tensions with Minsk.
The two checkpoints located in the Podlaskie province in northeastern Poland resumed operations on Monday at 12am, in accordance with the Polish interior ministry's regulation.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk had announced the decision during a press conference on Friday. He said it was made to address the situation of the inhabitants of the Podlaskie region who "are already bearing a very heavy burden due to Belarus' aggressive policy on the border."
Under the new regulation, the Bobrowniki-Bierestovitsa border crossing is now accessible to coaches and freight vehicles, but only those registered in the EU, the European Economic Area and Switzerland, and for passenger traffic. The Kuznica Bialostocka-Bruzgi border crossing is open for passenger traffic, excluding coaches.
On September 12, Poland temporarily shut all checkpoints with Belarus in response to Belarus-Russia joint military drills, reopening only several crossings a few weeks later.
On October 28, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the country would be ready to reactivate two more checkpoints with Belarus, in Kuznica and Bobrowniki. However, two days later, Poland decided to postpone further reopenings out of solidarity with Poland's neighbour, Lithuania, which also restricted its border access after hot-air balloons carrying contraband entered its airspace from Belarus.
The Kuznica crossing has been closed since November 9, 2021, when hundreds of migrants launched an attack on the crossing, throwing stones, bottles and other objects at the Polish border guard and police officers. Warsaw closed the Bobrowniki crossing on February 9, 2023, after the Belarusian regime sentenced Andrzej Poczobut, a Polish journalist and minority activist, to eight years in prison.
Warsaw has accused Minsk of orchestrating a migration crisis on its border with Belarus by inviting tens of thousands of migrants, primarily from the Middle East and Africa, and encouraging them to cross illegally into the EU through Poland. Warsaw believes that the crisis, which started in 2021, is meant to destabilise the EU.
Currently, the Terespol-Brest crossing is open to passenger cars, and the Kukuryki-Kozlovichi crossing is open to trucks. Several rail freight crossings are also operational. (PAP)
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