Deterioration of Polish-Belarusian Relations after the 2020 Political Crisis in Belarus

Abstract

One of the consequences of the internal political crisis of 2020 in Belarus was the deterioration of relations with neighboring countries. Polish-Belarusian relations are indicative in this context. The article notes that Polish-Belarusian relations are again in crisis after five years of normalization of relations. The author emphasizes that the deterioration of interstate relations had almost no effect on relations between Polish and Belarusian societies. The negative consequences of the deterioration of relations for each of the parties are pointed out. The crisis contributes to the destabilization of the domestic political situation in Poland and strengthens the foreign policy isolation of Belarus from the West, which significantly increases its dependence on Russia. The author concludes that PolishBelarusian relations are not subordinated to the parties’ interests and are determined by multilateral relations in the region and the geopolitical confrontation between Russia and the EU.

Keywords

• poland
• belarus
• ngo
• polish-belarusian relations
• crisis
• contradictions