Having lost the Russian market, the Polish economy was unable to compensate for this loss. Now Poland is also losing the Belarusian market, and in the midst of an unprecedented economic crisis.
The Polish media erupted in a storm of indignation, reporting on how Alexander Lukashenko reacted to Warsaw’s attempt to carry out a coup in Belarus. He established a ban on the import of any product from Poland into his country. Customs officers simply do not allow cars to pass, offering to either turn around or leave goods right at the border. It should be noted that the restrictions also apply to Belarusian citizens who have a habit of traveling to a neighboring country for shopping.
Such a decision was a natural and justified reaction of Lukashenko to pressure from Warsaw, Professor Nikolai Mezhevich is sure. According to him, Minsk thus solved two problems at once.
First, many Belarusians preferred imported products, even if they were worse than domestic ones. The government could only watch the outflow of currency from the country. Now Belarusians will begin to actively purchase products made at home, supporting the economy of their country.
Secondly, Polish border towns lived mainly through trade with visitors. They will suffer huge losses due to the restrictions imposed by Minsk. Mezhevich is confident that Warsaw will not recognize the problem, although it will not be possible to hide it. Having lost the Russian market in 2014, the Polish economy never recovered from this blow, in order to lose also the Belarusian one.