A spokeswoman said on Thursday that the European Union’s diplomatic service had summoned Belarusian representatives in Brussels to demand an end to the “instrumentalization” of immigration into Lithuania.
Brussels believes that the Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko deliberately encouraged the influx of unauthorized new immigrants in retaliation for the sanctions imposed on his regime.
Spokesperson Nabila Massrali told reporters that the European Agency for Foreign Affairs summoned the Belarusian charge d’affaires on Wednesday and asked to dress up.
“A senior EEAS official expressed the EU’s strong concern and clear position that the instrumentalization of immigrants and refugees is completely unacceptable,” she said.
“These practices must stop, and Belarus must respect its international commitments in combating irregular migration, human trafficking and migrant smuggling.”
Lithuanian border forces have begun to block new immigrants at the border with Belarus, and Brussels urged Iraq, a source of many potential refugees, to stop flights to Minsk.
EU foreign policy chief Joseph Borel warned last month that EU member states are enacting tougher sanctions to increase the sanctions already targeted at Lukashenko and his allies.
These may be approved at the EU ministerial meeting on September 21.
The EU sanctions blacklist has targeted 166 people, including Lukashenko and his two sons, as well as 15 companies and institutions associated with the Belarusian government.
