WARSAW, July28 (RIA Novosti, Leonid Sviridov) -- Poland is recalling its ambassador from Belarus, a Polish Foreign Ministry source said Thursday.
Polish Foreign Minister Adam Rotfeld said the Polish ambassador "will not return to Minsk until the situation in Belarus has been solved."
The Polish Foreign Ministry officials met Thursday mourning for consultations. It asked the European Commission to take effective measures to support Warsaw and protect the rights of the Polish minority in Belarus.
A protest was organized Thursday in Warsaw in front of the Belarusian Embassy. Representatives of the League of Polish Families movement, headed by its leader, Seim (Polish parliament) Deputy Roman Gertykh protested against the detention of the Belarus members of the Union of Poles and Polish journalists in Grodno, Belarus Wednesday. The detainees were released Thursday night.
Relations between Minsk and Warsaw have recently significantly deteriorated. On Tuesday, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko announced that Minsk would not allow Warsaw to interfere with his country's internal affairs.
Since May 2005, Belarus has expelled Polish diplomats three times. Poland has retaliated in the same manner. Both Minsk and Warsaw called their actions an adequate response to the decisions made by the opposing side.
