WARSAW, August 14. /TASS/. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has called on the Belarusian authorities to hold rerun presidential election with the participation of international observers.
"Our actions will not be interference in the domestic affairs of our neighbor. We can and must extend a helping hand to the Belarusians," he said on Friday presenting a program of support for Belarus’ civil society to Polish lawmakers.
"We call on the Belarusian authorities to look at organizing new free and fair elections, with the participation of international observers," he said.
According to the Polish prime minister, Europe’s and Poland’s security is impossible without a secure Belarus. "We have opened our hearts to Belarus. We also want to open our borders and educational establishments as well," he noted.
Morawiecki’s plan of support to Belarus envisages "support to those repressed." "Poland may become a second home for those oppressed in Belarus," he said. He also promised a program of grants to students and researchers, simplified entry procedures and access to the labor market. "They will be granted a possibility to study and work in Poland," he said.
Another provision of the program is support for the Belarusian media and non-government organizations. "Belarus needs pluralism of the media. We will set up permanent mechanisms of financing for independent media," he said, adding that Poland has been funding Belsat, a news agency, for years and has already spent around 40 million PLN (more than ten million US dollars) on that.
"In a situation when the internet may be cut off in Belarus any moment, the country should have as many journalistic channels as possible," he added.