Debates in Poland over Lukashenka visit

The Office of the Polish President plans to invite Alexander Lukashenka to attend celebrations to mark 600 years since the Gruenwald Battle. "This is a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate a cultural and historic unity of the peoples who won the battle together", says Jacek Sasin, an aide to Polish president Lech Kaczynski. The Union of Poles in Belarus agrees on condition that the Belarusian authorities will legalize its activities.

Metro newspaper reports that on July 15, 2010 the Gruenwald field will host celebrations of the 600th anniversary of the Gruenwald Battle. Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaite will be invited. Possibly, the presidents of Ukraine, Czech Republic and Latvia will also arrive since their ancestors also fought near the Green Forest. The participation of Belarusians who made a major contribution to the Gruenwald victory is questionable, because Alexander Lukashenka is associated with political repressions and disappearances.

Pavel Zalewski, a MEP from the ruling party Civic Platform and former Seim's Foreign Policy Committee chairman, reckons that there should be no rush over the invitation for Lukashenka. Pavel Kowal, MEP from the opposition Law and Justice party, notes that "Lukashenka does not comply with democratic standards and does not seem to change. There are no grounds to invite him”.