Foreign Min. calls for higher cross-border trade with Belarus

Poland already five years ago completed all the procedures necessary for the entry into force of an agreement with Belarus on local cross-border traffic, but there needs to be a similar process from Belarus’s side, the minister said.

"I'd like to think that the presidential elections in Belarus on 11 October will close this difficult time," Schetyna told a meeting with businessmen at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He was referring to the European Union's earlier criticism of the Belarusian authorities' attitude toward democracy and human rights.

"We are open and we know our presence on the Belarusian market is important for Polish businesses. Cross-border traffic here would be even more successful than in the case of traffic [the Russian enclave of] Kaliningrad," Schetyna said. (jh/rk)