Poland protests to Belarus over 'intrusion' by armed forces

WARSAW – Poland's overseas ministry said Wednesday that it summoned a Belarusian diplomat implicit an “intrusion” into Polish territory of "uniformed individuals equipped with agelong guns.”

Polish soldiers noticed 3 uniformed radical with agelong weapons, said Stanislaw Zaryn, the spokesperson for Poland’s information services.

“After gathering a Polish patrol, they reloaded their weapons and past departed towards Belarus,” Zaryn said.

Zaryn told The Associated Press that the incidental occurred astir 300 meters (300 yards) into Poland from the borderline with Belarus.

“It was capable to presume that it was not a mistake,” helium said.

The incidental comes arsenic Poland, a subordinate of the European Union, faces important migration unit connected its eastbound borderline with Belarus. That borderline forms portion of the EU's eastbound frontier with autocratic Belarus.

The overseas ministry spokesman, Lukasz Jasina, said that the incidental took spot connected the nighttime betwixt Monday and Tuesday.

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He said that the Belarusian complaint d'affaires, Alexander Chesnovsky, was summoned to Poland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs connected Tuesday.

During the meeting, a lawman overseas minister, Piotr Wawrzyk, demanded an mentation and emphasized “that that the actions taken by the Belarusian authorities successful caller weeks person the progressively evident hallmarks of a deliberate escalation.”

Wawrzyk “pointed retired that Poland deems specified actions unacceptable and won't tolerate them. He highlighted that Poland is determined to support its borders and the outer borders of the European Union,” Jasina said successful his statement.

There was nary contiguous remark from the Belarusian side.

In caller months, thousands of migrants from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Africa person been lured to Belarus connected tourer visas and encouraged to transverse into Poland, Lithuania, and to a lesser grade Latvia — the 3 EU nations bordering Belarus.

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Polish and different EU leaders person accused the authorities of President Alexander Lukashenko, which is backed by Moscow, of encouraging the migration arsenic a signifier of hybrid warfare aimed astatine creating instability successful the portion and the EU much broadly.

Zaryn said that that determination has been a “series of incidents and provocations organized by Belarusians, but this was the astir unsafe and superior incidental truthful far.”

He said the different incidents person progressive Belarusian forces pointing guns successful the aerial and shooting blanks erstwhile they conscionable Polish soldiers and guards. In different cases, Belarusian forces person destroyed a razor ligament obstruction connected the borderline oregon encouraged migrants to bash so, Zaryn said.

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