Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and politicians of various stripes were meeting in Warsaw to discuss "the possible course of events” in Poland’s eastern neighbor, according to an official.
The meeting, which started at around 10 a.m., was also expected to focus on “action taken by the Polish government vis-à-vis the situation in Belarus,” according to Michał Dworczyk, Morawiecki's chief of staff.
“We will talk about planned steps and listen to the opinions of our MPs and MEPs,” Dworczyk told reporters ahead of the meeting.
“We believe the situation beyond our eastern border should be discussed in a non-partisan manner while cutting across party lines,” he added.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki (left) and his chief of staff Michał Dworczyk (right). Photo: PAP/Leszek Szymański
After a previous such meeting on August 26, Poland’s ruling conservatives and opposition parties jointly appealed for the release of political prisoners in Belarus.
At least 100,000 protesters took to the streets of the Belarusian capital Minsk on Sunday in one of the biggest demonstrations yet against strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko after he claimed a landslide victory in an August 9 presidential election that his opponents say was rigged, the Reuters news agency reported.
The protest came as Lukashenko, in power in Belarus since 1994, was preparing to travel to Russia for talks on Monday with President Vladimir Putin.
Protesters march during a post-election rally in Minsk, Belarus, on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020. Photo: EPA/STRINGER
The Polish prime minister said last month that his country would support Belarus by opening its borders and labour market and providing financial aid to civil society after a violent crackdown on post-election protests.
(gs/pk)
Source: IAR, PAP, Reuters