Polish carriers blocking access to only truck checkpoint on Belarusian border

MINSK. May 10 (Interfax) - The Belarusian State Border Committee has reported the blocking of the Kukuryki checkpoint on the Polish-Belarusian border, which began on Wednesday, with reference to carriers.

"Carriers have reported the start of blocking of the Polish checkpoint Kukuryki. Polish media said earlier that Polish carriers would hold a protest to demand that semitrailers registered in Belarus and Russia be barred from crossing the border, and operations of companies from Belarus and Ukraine be banned," the committee said in a statement.

"According to truckers who crossed into Belarus from Poland, about 50 trucks of the activists are blocking access to the Polish checkpoint Kukuryki. Carriers also say that some of the protesters are drunk and are trying to damage cabins of foreign trucks," it said.

"There is information that the protesters allow one truck to cross every hour, while trucks carrying animals and perishables pass without delay," the committee said.

It was reported earlier that Polish carriers planned to block access to the only truck checkpoint on the border with Belarus, Kozlovichi-Kukuryki, from 1 p.m. Minsk time on May 9 through June 9.

"The protesters demand preferential terms for Polish carriers that incurred losses from anti-Russian sanctions and preferences for Ukrainian companies," the committee said. According to the Rzeczpospolita newspaper, Polish carriers "are protesting against control over the eastward transportation market by Belarusian and Russian companies."

As reported earlier, Poland closed the Bobrowniki-Berestovitsa checkpoint on the border with Belarus to trucks on February 10. Two checkpoints are now in operation - Kozlovichi-Kukuryki for trucks, and Brest-Terespol for cars. In addition, the Polish authorities limited truck traffic through the Kukuryki (Kozlovichi) checkpoint on February 21.