Security of borders, transport safety, cooperation in energy projects and possible liberalisation of visa restrictions were among the priority issues discussed during a short visit of Poland's foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski to Belarus. The meeting, held at the invitation of the Belarusian head of diplomacy Sergei Martynov, was perceived by many Polish experts as a sign of improving dilapidated bilateral relations.
 
Danuta Isler reports

It was the first visit of Poland's head of diplomacy in Belarus since 2004 and it took place in the town of Wiskule where in 1991 the leaders of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine signed a document confirming the dissolution the Soviet Union.

Assessing the results of his talks Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski voiced hope that the European Union will aim at liberalizing visa restrictions for representatives of the authorities in Minsk. He announced bilateral talks which would aim at dropping the visa ban for Belarusian VIPs introduced as sanctions for violating human rights by the Lukashenko regime: 'We would like our citizens to travel to each other's country without any problems. We will jointly consider lowering visa prices and liberalizing rules for their granting. Also developing better cooperation between consular services. We will look at ways for doing away with EU entry visas for Belarusian officials.'
 
Experts in Poland are unanimous that the visit should be assessed in a wider context of the European Union and its policy towards Belarus. Almost two years ago the bloc put 12 requests for liberalisation of the Belarussian regime on the table including the release of political prisoners. The country has agreed to that condition which opened a window of opportunity to discuss further steps - says Adam Eberhardt, deputy head of the Center for Eastern Studies in Warsaw: 'Certainly what Poland really wanted and still wants is liberalisation of the visa regime between our countries because although the government of Poland is very skeptical about the Belorussian regime and lack of freedoms for the people of Belarus, we would like, and I think it is quite obvious that the sactions should not be focused on the society of Belarus. And the visa facilitation is clearly needed to have better contact with the Belorussian society and to influence the situation in the country in this way.'
 
Poland alongside the rest of the EU have welcomed the progress Belarus has made on human rights recently citing the fact that some political prisoners have been released and media restrictions have been eased. Małgorzata Nocuń of the "New Eastern Europe" magazine says, however, that those steps of the regime should be approached with caution: 'I would not look at this visit as some kind of breakthrough visit or one signalling the warming of bilateral relations because I think all this is a sort of manipulation. I think there are still political prisoners in Belarus but they remain in home arrest instead of regular prisons. So it does not show that the regime is somehow being liberalised or that we are dealing with different Belarus. What is important, though, is the fact that we are trying to forecast the situation in Belarus and talk with that country'.
 
Poland will also be included in the EU delegation to oversee the elections in Belarus on September 28.