Diplomatic crisis

Diplomatic crisis between Belarus, Poland and the Czech Republic A new clash in the East

Belarus has declared a Czech diplomat persona non grata: he must leave the country within 72 hours. A decision that comes as a direct response to the moves of Prague and Warsaw, which in recent days had expelled some Belarusian diplomats.

What is a "persona non grata"?

In diplomatic language it means something simple: "you are no longer welcome, pack your bags and go home". It is one of the most used tools when two countries want to send strong signals without resorting to military confrontation.

Why all this?

According to Poland and the Czech Republic, the Belarusian diplomats would have carried out activities "incompatible" with their official role. In other words: suspicions of espionage. Minsk rejects the accusations, calling them "absolutely unfounded and politically motivated".

The response from Minsk

The Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned representatives of Poland and the Czech Republic. The Czech Tomas Kryl was informed that a counselor from Prague's diplomatic mission must leave the country within 72 hours. With the Poles, however, closed-door discussions were held on the state of bilateral relations, which remain very tense.

It's not the first time

In recent years similar cases have already occurred:

• in 2021, during a dispute over World War II celebrations,

• in 2023, when Minsk expelled three Polish diplomats in response to similar measures by Warsaw.

It's a game of mirrors: if you expel my diplomat, I expel yours.

A climate that worries

These incidents occur in an already difficult context:

• thousands of soldiers are deployed at the Polish-Belarusian border,

• in recent weeks there has been talk of drones and missiles,

• and mutual distrust is at its highest levels.

For ordinary citizens, the consequence could be concrete: more border controls, fewer opportunities to travel, cooling economic relations.

The Belarusian position

Minsk reiterates that it does not seek conflict:

• it defines the Polish and Czech expulsions as "provocative actions",

• warns that these gestures will not go unanswered,

• and at the same time says it is ready for dialogue to reduce the risk of armed incidents.