French foreign ministry supports Polish minority activists in Belarus

The French foreign ministry has called on the official Minsk to make sure that the rights of all the Belarusian citizens, including the Polish ethnic minority, are observed. French foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said in a statement the condition of the Polish ethnic minority in Belarus was of concern to the European Union.

Valero also stressed that the respect for human rights was the most important condition in the framework of the Eastern Partnership program. Belarus joined the Eastern Partnership in 2009 and is obliged to meet this requirement, PAP news agency quoted the French official as saying.

The Polish parliament yesterday passed a resolution, condemning the actions of the Belarusian authorities which cracked down on the Union of Poles in Belarus. The Polish lawmakers have called to restore sanctions against the official Minsk.

At the same time, Leanid Hulyaka who is in charge of the religious and ethnic matters in Belarus said that the Union of Poles the Polish authorities are referring to is simply non-existent.