Poland says it will reopen two Belarus border crossings on November 17

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WARSAW (Reuters) -Poland said it would on November 17 reopen two border crossings with Belarus that it shut in September in response to Russia-led military exercises in the neighbouring country and 21 Russian drones entering Polish airspace.

Warsaw had said on October 30 it might delay the reopening of the crossings with Belarus, a close Russian ally, until at least mid-November to show solidarity with fellow NATO member Lithuania amid heightened security concerns.

Lithuania closed its land border with Belarus in late October over airspace disruptions by smuggling balloons and said it would keep them shut until the end of November.

In a draft decision on Thursday evening, Poland’s interior ministry said that from November 17 the border crossing at Bobrowniki would be opened for passenger cars and trucks registered in the European Union, EFTA countries and Switzerland, and Kuznica Bialostocka only for passenger cars.

“The planned activities are aimed at resuming the flow of people and goods, which is a response to the expectations of … particular a large group of entrepreneurs, carriers and people traveling to work from Belarus to Poland,” it said.

Already strained relations between Poland and Belarus have sunk to new lows since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

(Reporting by Pawel Florkiewicz; editing by Mark Heinrich)