Presence of Belarusian KGB operative at forum needs 'clarification'
A senior government official has asked the organisers of a prestigious economic forum that pulls in the biggest names in Polish politics to provide clarity on the possible presence of an alleged Belarusian KGB operative.
According to media reports one of the attendees at the Karpacz Economic Forum, is Yuri Voskresenskyi, allegedly a Belarusian KGB officer specialising in extracting information from political prisoners.
His presence prompted Michał Dworczyk, the head of the Prime Minister's Office, to intervene.
"This matter needs to be clarified by the organisers... If the reports prove true, conclusions will certainly be drawn," Dworczyk said.
Asked if Polish intelligence services were aware of Voskresenskyi's presence at the forum, Dworczyk said he only found out about it from social media on Tuesday evening.
He added that he was sure no one had intentionally invited a KGB operative to Karpacz.
Voskresenskyi's attendance at the forum was first reported by Belarusian opposition journalist Tadeusz Giczan from the NEXTA channel.
According to Giczan, Voskresenskyi said he had been invited because the Poles wanted to "rebuild bridges" with Belarus.
Poland's relations with Belarus are currently under pressure because of a migrant crisis on both countries' common border.
Later on Wednesday Poland's Foreign Ministry wrote on Twitter that Poland had neither invited Voskresenskyi to the forum nor had it issued him a visa. The ministry said Poland honoured visas issued by other countries to persons not subject to sanctions.
