Poland said Wednesday it would grant free visas to citizens of neighbouring Belarus, but reserve the right to block anyone tied to a crackdown on opponents of President Alexander Lukashenko.
In a statement, the Polish foreign ministry said it would waive its 20-euro (26-dollar) visa fee from January 1.
"The decision is an expression of solidarity with the people of Belarus in recognition for the strong signal of support for democracy movements which they sent out during the presidential election on 19 December 2010," the ministry said.
"We want to help our neighbours strengthen their European identity by enabling them to have more frequent contacts with the Poles and other citizens of the European Union," it added.
Belarus has launched a new crackdown on dissent after the re-election of Lukashenko — ruler of the ex-Soviet republic since 1994 — in a vote that Western observers said fell well short of international standards.
"We reserve the right to take appropriate measures in order to prevent officials of the Republic of Belarus responsible for organising the recent wave of repression against civil society from entering the territory of Poland," the Polish foreign ministry said.
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