Belarus won’t protect “collective West” from consequences of migration crisis - Lukashenko

<p> MINSK, Sep 27 - PrimePress. Belarus will not defend “the collective West”, which has unleashed a war of sanctions against Minsk, from the consequences of the migration crisis. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko made a statement to this effect at the meeting with the heads of defence and law enforcement agencies on 27 September, the president’s press service reports. </p> <p>   </p> <p> “You [the collective West – editor’s note] have launched a hybrid war against us, you are waging a war of sanctions against us, and you want us to protect you here? It is not going to happen. Let them fight against those who are not welcome in Poland or Lithuania,” said Lukashenko. </p> <p>   </p> <p> Speaking about the situation with migrants, Lukashenko noted that the situation is further aggravated by the actions of border guards in neighbouring states. “The leaders of these states directly accuse our country of the migration crisis. Moreover, by voicing these accusations at high-level rostrums they decided to mislead the entire world community about this matter. Their speeches at the UN General Assembly are a case in point,” said Lukashenko. </p> <p>   </p> <p> Lukashenko once again denied such accusations calling them nonsense. He emphasized that Western countries themselves are to blame for the migration crisis. </p> <p>   </p> <p> Speaking about the transit of migrants through Belarus, the head of state explained how this is done: “They pick up these people there, give them some money. They fly in here taking advantage of our visa waiver. They are met here by certain people and taken to the border and then across the borderline. And there - in Poland, Lithuania and other countries - the top gangsters pick them up in Poland, for example, and send them further to Germany. Poland is not the final destination for migrants. They are headed for Germany, France, and partly Great Britain.” </p> <p>   </p> <p> As previously reported, the Delegation of the European Union (EUD) to Belarus on 8 Sep 2021 delivered a demarche to the Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Belarus in view of the observed 50-fold increase of irregular crossings from Belarus into the EU. “There are no objective reasons for such a sharp increase in illegal crossings on the route in question. The EU condemns the instrumentalisation of migrants for political purposes and urges the authorities in Belarus to stop this practice,” said the EUD message. </p> <p>   </p> <p> On 2 Sep 2021, Luc Devigne, deputy managing director for Russia, Eastern Partnership, Central Asia, Regional cooperation and OSCE at the European External Action Service (EEAS), told MEPs during a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee, that a fifth-round of measures is in the work against President Alexander Lukashenko and his regime. The EU previously imposed four sets of sanctions, which it justified by the escalation of human rights violations in Belarus following the presidential election of 9 August 2020. The overall sanctions list includes 166 individuals, as well as 15 organisations and businesses. In addition, following the emergency landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk on 23 May 2021, the EU imposed sanctions on major sectors of the Belarusian economy, including the export of potash fertilisers and petrochemical products to the EU. End </p>

2021-09-28

Primepress