Social media videos showed that on Monday (October 8), hundreds of migrants marched from Belarus to the Polish border, prompting the European Commission to condemn Minsk for “abusing the people” and calling the immigration situation at the Belarusian border an “emergency” “.
in a video Shared by independent Belarusian blogging service Next step, People saw immigrants wearing backpacks and winter clothes walking by the road, towards Kuźnica – Bruzgi border crossing, Polish media reports.
Poland National Team Border defense Said it has been recorded The day before alone, there were 222 attempts to illegally cross the border between Poland and Belarus.
The European Commission estimates that the number of immigrants is “hundreds”, confirming that Brussels is in contact with Polish authorities on this issue.
head Rustamas Liubajevas of the Lithuanian Border Guard said: There are 5,000 colleagues from Europol, Frontex and Poland. “
The State Border Commission of Belarus issued a statement It was confirmed that a large group of refugees were heading to the Polish border along the highway, and that Warsaw had adopted an “inhumane attitude”, but did not elaborate.
Warsaw worried
Deputy Foreign Minister Piotr Wawrzyk told Polish Public Radio That “Belarus wants to trigger a major incident, it is best to shoot and cause casualties: according to media reports, they are preparing for a major provocation near Bialowostka in Kuznica in an attempt to cross the border on a large scale.”.
Maciej Wasik, Deputy Minister of the Interior of Poland Tweet “The Polish authorities are ready to deal with any situation.”
“We are still fully prepared,” he added.
Poland has erected barbed wire on the part of its border with Belarus. A state of emergency has been entered along the border to prevent the arrival of migrants. Poland plans to build a 5.5-meter-high fence along the 180-kilometer border.
Warsaw said on Friday that a Belarusian soldier tried to fire a signal flare at the Polish border guards, while others tried to dismantle the border fence.
“Further provocation at the border. Yesterday, a Belarusian soldier tried to fire a flare gun at a Polish soldier. Fortunately, the gun did not fire,” the Polish Ministry of Defense wrote On Twitter.
At the time of publication, the Ministry of the Interior Said The situation was brought under control after the Polish service prevented the immigrants from forcing their way to the Polish side south of the Kuźnica border crossing.
🔴Emergency | Polish services prevented migrants from trying to force their way to the Polish side south of the Kuznica border crossing. The situation is under control. pic.twitter.com/iJNvufd524
-MSWiA (@MSWiA_GOV_PL) November 8, 2021
Did not request EU assistance
“Of course, this is a continuation of the Lukashenko regime’s desperate attempt to use the people as pawns to destabilize the European Union,” said Adalbert Jaynz, the European Commission’s internal affairs spokesperson.
When the reporter asked whether Poland requires EU border service agencies or agencies to provide assistance, Jaynz said: “At present, there are no European agencies on the Polish border and no such request has been made.”
Peter Stano, the foreign affairs spokesperson for the European executive, said that discussions are under way to “modify the existing sanctions regime against Belarus to take into account the new and emerging threats we have seen recently, including the instrumentalization of immigration.” .
“This is an urgent issue for the EU,” Stano said, adding that the EU foreign ministers will discuss this issue at a meeting in Brussels next Monday (November 15).
Lithuania prepares
Lithuanian Interior Minister Agnė Bilotaitė said in an interview with reporters on Monday that the situation at the Lithuanian-Belarusian border is currently “stable and under control”. But after the incident on the border between Poland and Belarus, Lithuania is prepared to respond to “all possible situations.”
General Rustamas Liubajevas said that preparations had begun on Saturday because there was news that immigrants had gathered in droves along the borders of Poland and Belarus.
The Lithuanian army is deploying in certain areas of the border that are most likely to try to enter the country.
“This is not only an attack on Lithuania or Poland, but also an attack on the entire European Union. We need to unite to fight back,” said Interior Minister Bilo Tait. government.
At the EU leaders’ meeting last month, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda stated that “unfortunately, the number of potential immigrants who may cross the EU border is increasing” and warned that the EU will not be able to be on the border.
Vilnius is promoting EU funding for the establishment of a border fence and hopes to modify the EU’s asylum policy.
However, European Commission President Ursula von der Lein told reporters after the EU leaders summit last month, “There is a long-standing common denominator. [understanding] In the committee and the European Parliament, there will be no funding for barbed wire and walls.”
[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic]
