Belarusian TV Insults Polish People and Authorities

05.04.2004.

On 2 April the Polish Embassy in Belarus made a statement regarding the broadcast of “Human Rights – A Glance at the World” show by the Belarusian National TV channel. “The Belarusian state TV has put in the mouth of its notorious propagandist Yawhen Novikaw ... an insult to Polish people and authorities having called the Republic of Poland, Belarus’ closest neighbor, a “puppet state”, -- claim the diplomats.
The statement stresses, the TV show was broadcasted “the day Belarusian prime-minister Siarhei Sidorski was receiving the Polish Ambassador, and the same TV channel presented it as the political event of the day”. The Polish Embassy reminds, that “Poland is a country with democratically-elected authorities, it is a long-standing full member of the Council of Europe, and a country where residents of even the smallest towns and villages have direct and exclusive impact on their local representatives and decision-making on their behalf. Eventually, Poland is a country implementing independent foreign policy”. The declarants believe, presenting Poland as a ?#152;' puppet state” is nothing but slander.
“A puppet figure is certainly the journalist who seems to perform a political order of the circles interested in falling off in cooperation between Poland and Belarus’'. ?#152;'From the standpoint of these events we consider Mr. Novikaw not only as an instigator of hostility towards Polish people, but also as a provocateur acting directly against the policy of the Belarusian authorities who are trying to improve the climate of our bilateral relations”. The Polish Embassy hopes that “scandalous statements of that kind will never be aired by Belarusian state TV”, reports BAJ press service.