Poland-Belarus border crossings to remain shut for now, minister says
Poland's border crossings with Belarus, which Warsaw closed last Friday amid the Russian-Belarusian military exercises, will remain shut until the situation is safe, Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski has said.
As Minsk and Moscow embarked on their large-scale military manoeuvres 'Zapad' on September 12, the Polish government decided to close all border crossings with Belarus for security reasons. The drills ended on September 16, but the government regulation continues to be in effect.
"Last night, the Border Guard monitored an uptick in the activity of Belarusian and Russian drones attempting to enter the Polish airspace," Kierwinski said at a press conference on Thursday. "One can see that the situation on the Polish-Belarusian border is still very, very tense.
"Should we receive reports from the services that safety has been restored, we'll open the border," Kierwinski added.
He went on to say that the government, when announcing its decision to shut the border crossings, said that they were going to remain closed not until the end of the 'Zapad' manoeuvres but until there is 100-percent certainty that Poland faces no threats or provocations. (PAP)
jd/jch
