Foreign Minister of Belarus Sergei Martynov said that Minsk could retaliate if Poland's authorities adopted a decision to impose a travel ban on Belarusian officials. "If such a decision is made, it won't be a success, and Poland must be prepared that we will have no choice but to retaliate in return," he said in Brussels.
At the same time, the Belarusian Minister thanked Poland for the abolition of fees for the Belarusian citizens to receive national Polish visas. «We only welcome every decision, including the recent decision of Poland to increase opportunities for people to travel,» said Sergei Martynov, PAP.
Head of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry also says that Minsk will continue to cooperate with Poland, with which Belarus has «deep historic links.» «Poland is an important partner of Belarus. We have many common interests in various sectors: from energy diversification and energy transit to combating illegal trafficking and organized crime,» he said.
As Telegraf previously reported, Poland was among the first to propose expanding the list of banned Belarusian officials. As explained by the press-secretary of Foreign Ministry of Poland Marcin Bosatski on December 29, the decision to ban the entry to Poland will be made in the Schengen area. «It means that if a person turns into a consulate of the Schengen States for a visa, then the red light will be on. As a rule, it gives no chance for a person to get a visa for entry into any of the Schengen States,» Marcin Bosatski said.
