"We will not leave our compatriots in Belarus behind, we will intervene on their behalf" - Poland's President Andrzej Duda said on Thursday. His spokesman said earlier that day the president had asked OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid to look into the arrests of Polish activists in Belarus as soon as possible.
A diplomatic row between Belarus and Poland accelerated after the arrest of two Polish activists this week - Andżelika Borys and Andrzej Poczobut.
President Andrzej Duda on Thursday discussed the issue of arrested Polish activists in Belarus with chiefs of intelligence services.
"The Belarusian society is a society of our friends. The Belarusian people, along with the Polish people who have lived among them for generations, are our friends. We wish Belarus and the Belarusian people all the best" - Andrzej Duda said after the meeting.
"It's an unprecedented situation that the Belarusian authorities, which aren't fully legitimate - as we've all seen how the recent presidential election looked like, (...) arrest members of Polish diaspora, and members of legal Polish organisations" - the president said.
He reassured the issue would be monitored. "We won't leave our compatriots in Belarus behind, we will intervene on their behalf."
President Duda also said Poland would take all legal measures to ensure the international law, including the rights of Polish minority living in Belarus is respected "in accordance with international standards".
Polish president also mentioned he had asked the OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid to make sure the issue of Poles in Belarus is addressed by the organisation by adopting adequate resolutions.
Finally, Andrzej Duda said he would also ask the UN Security Council to address the issue in question.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, PAP, Reuters