The EU has agreed on new sanctions Belarus The goal is “all participants” to facilitate the transportation of people to the border between Belarus and Poland, where thousands of people are trapped in makeshift camps in cold weather.
The EU accuses Alexander Lukashenko’s regime of launching “Mixed attacks” on the EU Allow Middle Easterners eager to reach the European Union to fly to Minsk and then to the Polish border.
Joseph Borrell, the head of EU foreign policy, said that the decision of the 27 EU foreign ministers reflected “the determination of the EU.” European Union Stand up against the instrumentalization of immigration for political purposes.”
The list of persons and entities affected by the asset freeze and travel ban is expected to be finalized in the coming weeks. Borrell said it will include “personnel, airline companies, travel agencies, and everyone involved in illegally pushing migrants to our borders.”
Lukashenko vowed to retaliate. “They used sanctions to scare us,” he told officials on Monday. “We will protect ourselves. We cannot retreat.” He did not announce specific measures.
Lukashenko had previously threatened to cut gas supply Europe Through the pipeline from Russia. A Kremlin spokesperson said on Monday that Vladimir Putin said “I believe this will not affect the transportation of natural gas.”
theme The decision was announced when a group of people gathered at the Polish border Second week of operation.
Video footage shows people walking out of the forest where they camped and heading to the Kuźnica border crossing. The group was accompanied by Belarusian police in riot gear. When they reached the border, Polish riot police, standing behind the barbed wire fence, met them.The standoff continued into the evening Poland Deploy reinforcements to border areas.
In the controversial elections last year and the subsequent brutal suppression of peaceful protesters, the European Union has imposed four rounds of sanctions on Belarusian authorities and senior officials.
EU officials want to ensure that the new sanctions list is legally impeccable in order to minimize the risk of being sued in the European Court of Justice. A diplomat said before the meeting: “We are all working hard to complete this work yesterday, but the reality is that yesterday may arrive in two weeks.”
Diplomats are also discussing tightening economic sanctions against Belarus by expanding restrictions on the tobacco and potash industries-both industries are important sources of income for Lukashenko.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said: “We are still far from the end of the sanctions spiral.” Belarusian flagship airline Belavia is one of the airlines that may be targeted. Maas called on other companies to follow the example of Turkish Airlines and restrict flights. Flights to the capital of Belarus.
“Those who don’t have to expect severe sanctions. The situation is so dramatic that I can no longer rule out the possibility that overflight or landing permits in Europe will be denied,” he said.
Although Poland and Lithuania have indicated that the sanctions list is unlikely to include Russian airline Aeroflot Hold the Russian president accountable For the border crisis. “he [Putin] It’s for sure to work with Mr. Lukashenko to promote this crisis politically,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis told reporters.
“Russia is using this crisis to destabilize the EU,” he added, describing immigration as one of the EU’s most sensitive topics. “This is a great weapon against us. If we can’t make a decision, then you might say,’Look, the EU is invalid.’ This will cause new fires within the EU.”
There are reports that Russian troops are gathering near the border between Russia and Ukraine, and Landsbergis hinted that the Kremlin may be preparing for an attack. “While we are dealing with the situation on the borders of Poland, Lithuania and Belarus, Ukraine is very likely to be attacked,” he said. Landsbergis claimed that Belarus could also be attacked, and the Belarusian border guards were replaced by agents of the Russian Federal Security Service on the pretext of deeper cooperation between the two countries.
Landsbergis stated that Lithuania will be ready to help any United Nations organization’s personnel repatriate to the Middle East, but will exclude flights from his country.
An Iraqi official announced on Sunday that the country will organize the first repatriation flight for people stranded on the border between Belarus and Poland. The flight will depart from Minsk on Thursday.
The official did not say how many people the plane will transport to Iraq. The official said that according to Iraqi government statistics, 571 Iraqi citizens requested “voluntary” repatriation.
It is believed that there are far more Iraqis on the border between Belarus and Poland. Last week, an Iraqi Kurdish official estimated that there were as many as 8,000 people in the border area alone.
On Monday, Lukashenko said that many people camped at the Polish border were unwilling to return to Iraq.
Lukashenko said in a televised speech to government officials: “We are ready…to send them on the plane and send them home.” “But it must be said that these people are very stubborn: no one wants to go back. The reason is very good. Obviously: they have nowhere to go.”
EU officials held talks with Middle Eastern countries to slow the movement of people, many of whom came from Iraq and Syria and flowed into the border with Europe. But this does not solve the problem of how to deal with the thousands of people who have been trapped. In many cases, they were denied entry to Poland and returned to Belarus.
Diplomats estimate that as the temperature drops sharply, 10,000 to 20,000 people in the border area will face increasingly harsh conditions.
In extremely unlikely circumstances, Lukashenko also hinted that Belarus would be ready to transport personnel directly to Germany. “If the Poles don’t give us a humanitarian corridor, then we can take them to Munich in Belavia,” he said.
