Belarus said on Wednesday (November 17) that President Alexander Lukashenko and German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed on the phone that Minsk and the European Union should discuss the immigration crisis at the border between Belarus and Poland.
On the same day, the European Commission confirmed that it would hold “technical talks” with Belarus on how to repatriate migrants trying to cross the Polish border.
Thousands of immigrants, mainly from the Middle East, camped at the border. The West said this was Lukashenko’s retaliation for sanctions against his regime after he brutally suppressed protests against his rule.
Lukashenko and his main ally Russian President Vladimir Putin refuted these allegations and criticized the European Union for not accepting immigrants trying to cross the border into Poland.
Lukashenko’s press service stated that the leaders of Belarus and Merkel “agreed to bring the whole issue to Belarus and the EU level”.
“The relevant officials of the two parties to be determined will immediately begin negotiations to resolve the existing problems,” it said.
Merkel’s spokesperson, Steffen Seibert, said that the German leader “emphasized the need for humanitarian care and return options for those affected” during the call.
He added that Merkel stated that this can be done with the support of the UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration, and in cooperation with the European Commission.
This is the second call between Lukashenko and Merkel this week. It is also the first time that a Belarusian strongman has spoken with a Western leader since his regime initiated the suppression. Putin had previously called on EU leaders to have a direct dialogue with Lukashenko. .
The European Commission confirmed on Wednesday that it will hold “technical talks” with Belarus on how to repatriate migrants trying to cross the Polish border.
EU spokesperson Eric Mamer said that contacts will be limited to discussions with Belarus and UN agencies on how to best return migrants to their countries of origin.
Ma Mo said on Twitter: “Belarus must grant access to humanitarian aid and provide shelter for migrants from the country.”
“The European Commission will hold technical talks with UNHCR, the International Organization for Migration and Belarus on repatriation matters,” he said.
‘Not a good step’
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov welcomed the contact between Belarus and the European Union on Wednesday, calling it “very important.”
But the Polish government spokesman Piotmuller said that the call between the leaders of Belarus and Germany earlier this week was “not a good step” and appeared to be “accepting his choice”, referring to Lukashenko. .
Earlier Wednesday, Merkel’s spokesperson Seibert said it was “useful” to talk to Minsk “to improve this humanitarian situation”, even with a leader who neither Europe nor Germany recognizes its legitimacy. People talk.
Poland warned on Wednesday that the crisis could last for months or even years, just the day after the Polish army used tear gas and water cannons to stop stone-throwing migrants.
The Border Guard said it had found 161 illegal border crossing attempts on Tuesday, including “two forcible attempts.”
Mariusz Blaszczak, the Polish Minister of Defense, stated that there have been attempts to cross the border at night.
“We must prepare for the fact that the situation on the border between Poland and Belarus will not be resolved soon. We must prepare for months or even years,” Blaszak told Polish radio station Jedynka.
The West accuses Belarus of seducing thousands of immigrants, many of them from Iraq and Syria, promising easy entry into the European Union, and then forcing them to stay at the border.
The eastern EU member states Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland all refused to accept immigrants, leaving many people stranded in the forest-covered border areas for weeks.
Flight ban
Under pressure from the European Union, several airlines said they would stop sending potential migrants to Belarus.
Iraq also stated that it will begin the voluntary repatriation of its citizens from Belarus this week, and the EU border agency Frontex is cooperating with Polish and Iraqi authorities to arrange charter flights from Poland.
Aid organizations said that since the beginning of the summer crisis, at least 11 migrants have died on both sides of the border and called for humanitarian response to the problem.
The European Commission’s Human Rights Commissioner Dunja Mijatovic (Dunja Mijatovic) said during a visit to the area near the Polish border on Tuesday that the situation was “extremely dangerous”.
She told reporters: “We need to find a way to ease the situation to ensure that the focus is truly to stop the suffering.”
We can see that people in distress have suffered tremendously,” said Tunja Mijatović, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe. Russia.
https://t.co/5Iaq7Xc176-Dunja Mijatovic (@Dunja_Mijatovic) November 17, 2021
The Belarusian Red Cross said on Wednesday that about 1,000 migrants had been placed in a “logistics center” near the Bruzgi-Kuznica checkpoint.
According to the Russian News Agency, another 800 people are still in temporary camps near the border.
According to pictures broadcast by Russian state television, volunteers and military personnel distribute hot porridge, sweets, water, tea and canned food in what looks like a large warehouse.
The Ministry of Health of Belarus stated that it had sent 6 people from the Bruzgi camp to the hospital, including 4 children.
Dancing with dictators is dangerous. Appeasement leads to impunity. When he feels that blackmail works and can give him what he wants, he will escalate and cause more victims when needed. He will rob you and fool you. Your humanity is just a weakness for him.
-Franc Viačorka (@franakviacorka) November 17, 2021
(Editing by Georgi Getoff)
