Opinions & Interviews

“Poland is a member of the European Union and the Nato, while Belarus is part of the Union State with Russia and the CSTO. We are neighbors and can cooperate on the principles of good neighborliness in all the areas,” the ambassador said.

"Over the past year and a half we have been trying to catch up with what we have missed to use efficiently. Apart from personal and economic contacts that have always been active between our countries, we are building cooperation between agencies, finalizing the legal framework of bilateral relations, seeking useful projects for our countries, such as, for instance, cooperation within China’s Belt and Road initiative,” the diplomat said.

According to him, the two countries have been steadily developing cross-border cooperation, a vivid example of which is the joint promotion of the Augustow Canal brand and the attraction of tourists, including from other countries. “We have a lot of such projects. I am glad that the process of intensifying our cooperation has coincided with the 25^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Poland and Belarus,” said Konrad Pawlik.

According to the ambassador, over the past two years the trade between the two countries and the volume of Polish investments in Belarus has been on the rise. “We have a significant potential for development, and we are moving in the right direction. We just need to follow this path,” he said. “Polish companies are interested in investing in Belarus. I mean both small and medium-sized business and serious players. Over the year and a half of my diplomatic mission here I have participated in the opening of several projects that benefit both countries and we can be proud of them," he added.

Konrad Pawlik also stressed that the two countries should be proud of the common historical heritage and said that ethnic Belarusians have everything necessary for self-definition in Poland.