Rumours about the closure of Belsat TV, a Warsaw-based satellite channel for Belarusians, have sparked a massive political and media outcry. In a number of interviews, Belsat TV Director Agnieszka Romaszewska-Guzy explains why she faults the Foreign Ministry’s decision to cut funding for the channel.
According to her, the Belarusian authorities are facing more pressing problems, Belsat TV is not challenge No.1.
“There is no doubt that the Belarusian authorities are not fans of Belsat TV, because we criticize them, we criticize Alyaksandr Lukashenka. But I am convinced that the Belarusian authorities now have greater fears than the fear of Belsat TV,” Agnieszka Romaszewska-Guzy told TV Republica on Monday.
In her opinion, at the moment Belarus is seeking to establish contacts with the West, mainly with Poland. Firstly, it is the result of the country’s grave economic problems. Secondly, there is also the rhetoric of rapprochement, with the help of which the Belarusian authorities are trying to blackmail Moscow.
However, in the interview with dziennik.pl, the head of the channel expressed hopes that the case of Belsat would not be left on the razor’s edge.
When asked by journalist Magdalena Rigamonti who is trying to discredit Belsat, Romaszewska-Guzy answered:
“I have some suspicions, but here I will cite [Chairman of Law and Justice party] Kaczyński: I know, but I will not name them.”
Romaszewska-Guzy revealss that she had a hard talk with Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski and told him point-blank that his decision would be detrimental to Poland as well.
Moreover, Belsat TV Director is absolutely sure that the Belarusian side did not insist on closing down the channel.
“President Lukashenka realizes that the situation only continues to get worse, that the country is dependent on Russia, and he is trying to blackmail Moscow by demonstrating that the relations with Western Europe, mainly with Poland, are improving. He knows that good relations with Poland are iportant; and a little thing like Belsat is not a big obstacle for him. I would stress that U.S. Radio Svaboda [RFE/RL] still has its office in Minsk; its journalists were granted accreditation. The Americans are also striving for a thaw in relations; I have not noticed that someone is eager to drive Radio Svaboda away from Belarus,” said Romaszewska-Guzy.
In the interview with Wirtualna Polska, Agnieszka Romaszewska-Guzy points out that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs fails to give a clear reason for the liquidation of the TV station.
“The Minister voices different reasons. In one of his recent interviews he has mentioned a new one saying the ministry has no money, but needs them to give to Polish consulates. Frankly speaking, it’s hard for me to comment on it because I am unaware of the real reasons for cutting Belsat Tv budget What is the case? I do not know, because they give different answers.”
On December 18, Witold Wazczykowski voiced the ministry’s plans of Belsat TV transition to a web mode and its journalists’ transfer to TVP Polonia.
In the interview with PolskaTimes, Romaszewska-Guzy stresses that Belsat TV’s and TV Polonia’s roles are completely different; so are their audiences – the Belarusians is the main target group of the former while the latter addresses the Polish minority in the world.
“Just to be clear – I am a great supporter of a thaw [in relations]. I believe that neighbouring states should have good relations. A cooldown in cooperation does not work. But keeping terms is one thing; the elimination of all assets which has in relation to a particular country is just the opposite. An overnight liquidation of a TV station, one of the most important Belarusian independent resorts, which has been in operation for nine years, overnight – it simply won’t do,” she said.
In the interview with Polish Radio, Belsat TV Director questioned the plausibility of information about the situation in the East which has been lately delivered to Poland’s policy makers.
“For 11 years, I have been au fait with the issue of Belarus and the East – I know hundreds of people there. I know Russian, Belarusian, read in Ukrainian, I see which way the wind blows. If one can come up with the idea of the liquidation of Belsat, it means that information flowing to the leadership of this country is fundamentally false,” she emphasized.
According to her, it is too naive or even ill-meaning to state that the Belarusian authorities will stop coming closer to Poland due to Belsat TV.
In mid-December, Agnieszka Romaszewska-Guzy told portal Wpolityce.pl with reference to unofficial information that the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs intended to reduce reduce financing the television channel Belsat TV by 2/3 and stop its broadcast in the Belarusian language. On a practical level, such changes would mean the closure of Belsat, the only independent Belarusian-language TV channel, which has become a permanent support of public opinion and national identity of Belarusians.
- Belsat TV Director makes statement on channel’s future
- What is ‘Belsat’ and how many Belarusians watch it?
- BelarusDigest: Supporting Belsat is in the real interest of Warsaw and Minsk
There is an online petition to support “Belsat” on the Internet. To sign it, you need to follow the link.
Belsat.eu
