New EU sanctions against Belarus to fuel migration crisis

The European criminal list with names of individuals and authorities in Belarus has been further expanded. The foreign ministers of the European Union made agreements about this on Monday in response to the migration crisis at the borders with Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. Belarus is deliberately driving thousands of migrants and refugees to the border region to get back at the European Union for past criticism and EU sanctions.

According to EU Foreign Affairs chief Josep Borrell, the new sanctions target “those who instigate or facilitate illegal crossing of the border into the EU”. This includes airlines – the national company Belavia in any case, but also travel agencies in Turkey and Iraq, respectively, a transit country and country of origin for migrants who are now stranded on the border with Belarus. Belavia leases several aircraft from EU member states and will therefore be affected by the measure.

Borrell wrote on Twitter that he had made it clear to his counterpart in Minsk, Minister Vladimir Makei, that aid organizations should be allowed access to the area where, according to Polish estimates, 4,000 people from North Africa and the Middle East are stranded.

Outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel called Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko on Monday, “mainly about the need for humanitarian aid for the refugees and migrants there,” a spokesman said. According to Reuters news agency, it was the first direct conversation between the Belarusian heads of government and a Western European colleague since the elections in the country in August 2020.

Also read this analysis: Migration crisis at Polish border affects EU’s self-image

The EU accuses the Belarusian head of government of sending people to Europe’s external borders in retaliation for the Union’s criticism of its own actions. The relationship deteriorated last summer when massive protests erupted against Lukashenko’s reelection, which he had brutally suppressed. Brussels has already blacklisted more than 150 people associated with its controversial regime. The latest package of sanctions is the fifth the EU has imposed against Belarus since August 2020. In the meantime, Brussels is also considering new economic sanctions.

Russian Troop Building Alerts, Private Security Guards

The Union’s eastern border dominated several of the EU’s agendas. The foreign ministers also discussed the “sense of threat” that Borrell says hangs over Ukraine. Several EU countries suspect Russia of playing a role in the problems at the border with Belarus. Western countries have also been concerned for a week about the conglomeration of Russian soldiers on the border with Ukraine.

Finally, the Russian mercenary company Wagner Group was discussed. Human rights groups have been warning for some time that employees of the company, which provides services such as security but also offers military operations, have no regard for human rights. Wagner is said to be close to the Kremlin and regularly deployed to protect Russian interests. Criticism of Wagner has been heard for some time, after, among other things, presence in Libya and the Central African Republic. Since rumors of talks between Wagner and the government of Mali have been circulating, France has sounded the alarm. The Netherlands and the Czech Republic said on Monday that they share those concerns of France.

With the collaboration of Michel Kerres

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