Tsikhanouskaya Urges Poland to Keep Borders Open as Warsaw Considers Closure with Belarus

In a recent post on “X,” Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the Belarusian opposition leader, who is widely believed to have won the presidential election in her country in 2020, has urged Poland not to shut down border crossing points with Belarus.

Tsikhanouskaya, referencing the Cold War-era division of Europe, urged that any border restrictions should target the Belarusian regime, not its people.

"Keeping Belarusians connected to Europe is crucial—their mobility must be assured. Initiatives to limit border traffic due to the regime's ongoing provocations should target the dictator, not the people," she stated on social media platform X, stressing the need to avoid leaving people "behind a new iron curtain."

Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski announced on Sunday, June 23,  that Warsaw might close the remaining border checkpoints to curb illegal migration.

Poland accuses Belarus of aiding the passage of migrants from the Middle East and Africa into Poland. In 2021, the European Union alleged that Belarus's leader, Alexander Lukashenko, was directing this influx in response to sanctions.

In the face of the ongoing migration crisis, Poland has already closed four of the six border checkpoints with Belarus.

Sikorski acknowledged that the government is considering a complete closure, but is carefully evaluating the potential economic impact.

Tsikhanouskaya became a symbol of opposition in 2020 after running against Lukashenko in a contested presidential election, which she claimed to have won before being forced into exile in Lithuania.

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