Belarus expels consul of Polish Consulate General in Brest; Polish foreign ministry responds

Belarus suspects the Polish consulate of helping a fellow citizen leave the country despite a travel ban.

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry has announced the expulsion of a staff member of the Polish Consulate General in Brest over assisting a Polish citizen suspected in a road accident to leave the country, according to a comment from Belarusian Foreign Ministry spokesman Anatoly Glaz.

Stated reasons for the expulsion

According to the ministry's representative, the Polish citizen allegedly caused an accident in Belarus that killed two Belarusian girls, as a result of which he became a suspect in a criminal case and was temporarily barred from leaving Belarus.

"We have established with certainty that the attempt to escape was initiated and organized by staff of the Polish Consulate General in Brest. Moreover, they did so knowingly, understanding both the justification for the exit restrictions on the suspect and the fact that two people died in the accident," Glaz said.

According to him, the actions of the staff of the Polish Consulate General in Brest directly violate a number of provisions of the Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic Relations and on Consular Relations.

"We sincerely hope that this is an isolated case that does not characterize the Polish Foreign Ministry as a whole. At the same time, we see no possibility for such a consular employee to continue working on Belarusian territory. We will also inform our foreign partners about the incident," the Belarusian Foreign Ministry representative said.

Reaction of the Polish Foreign Ministry

The Polish Foreign Ministry summoned the Belarusian chargé d'affaires in connection with Minsk's decision to expel the Polish consul from Brest.

Belarusian authorities claim that the Polish consul in Brest sought to help a Pole suspected in Belarus of causing a road accident in which two people died avoid responsibility. The reference is to an attempt to facilitate this person's departure from Belarus.

According to unofficial media reports, the consul bought the man a train ticket to Poland after consulting with Belarusians beforehand. Eventually, the Pole was arrested at the border.

The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs awaits clarification on this issue. One of the Belarusian diplomats working at the consulate in the east of the country is expected to be expelled from Poland in the near future.

Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman Łukasz Jasina has already said that the Belarusian chargé d'affaires was summoned to the ministry in connection with this case.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms the summoning of the Belarusian chargé d'affaires over the expulsion of the Polish consul. At this stage, measures are being taken to verify the information provided and clarify the situation," the statement says.