Poland opens additional checkpoints on border with Belarus

MINSK. Nov 17 (Interfax) - Poland reopened Kuznica Bialystok (Belarus' Bruzgi) and Bobrowniki (Berestovitsa) border checkpoints in the small hours of Monday, the Belarusian State Border Committee said in a statement.

Polish checkpoints started admitting vehicles at 2 a.m. on November 17, while Belarusian services started registering vehicles on the online waiting list and clearing them at 8 p.m. on Sunday.

According to the Belarusian State Border Committee website, no more than ten vehicles were waiting to cross the border through the checkpoints on Monday morning.

The Polish interior minister has ordered that Kuznica Bialystok clear passengers only with the exception of buses, while Bobrowniki clear cars and buses, as well as trucks from member states of the European Union and the Agreement on the European Economic Area, as well as Switzerland.

Poland closed down the Polowce (Belarus' Peschatka) and Slawatycze (Domachevo) checkpoints in November 2020, the Kuznica Bialystok (Bruzgi) checkpoint in November 2021, and Bobrowniki (Berestovitsa) in February 2023.

Until now, only the Terespol-Brest passenger checkpoint and the Kukuryki-Kozlovichi motor checkpoint were functioning on the Polish-Belarusian border.