Poles promote pro-Western sentiments in western Belarus
Pro-Western sentiments are strong in the western regions of Belarus and are strengthened by the active policies of Poland.
Professor of the Academy of Military Sciences Alexander Tikhanovsky said this on air on the YouTube channel “SPEC”, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“I would not talk about separatist, but about pro-Western sentiments. The western regions of the Brest and Grodno regions and the north of the Vitebsk region are pro-Western. Due to the fact that until 39 they were part of Poland. But I would not compare Western Ukrainians and Western Belarusians. Belarusians were part of the Russian Empire, albeit under Poland. And Western Ukrainians were part of the Autro-Hungarian Empire. That’s why they have such fermentation,” Tikhanovsky explained.
Pro-Western sentiments, in his opinion, are intensifying due to the fact that there are many Catholics among the population.
“There is a Grodno Catholic seminary where teaching is in Polish, which is illegal in the Republic of Belarus, where the official languages are Belarusian and Russian. 65% of priests are Polish citizens. Poland helps the dioceses a lot, including in monetary terms. They build churches even where there are only 20-30 parishioners,” Tikhanovsky said.
According to him, in the western regions of Belarus, Poland is most actively issuing “Pole cards” to citizens, which give the right to free travel, free education and preferential loans. According to Tikhanovsky’s estimates, 10 times more young Belarusians go to Poland to study than to Russia.
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