Another 116 people tried to enter Lithuania illegally; border guards are preparing more and more migrants / Article

Another 116 people tried to enter Lithuania last day, where a state of emergency was declared due to the influx of migrants. The border guard of the neighboring country anticipates that the situation will become more and more serious.

Another 116 people tried to enter Lithuania under the guise of night. Most of the borders have crossed the southern part of the country, where Druskinki is located. The border guard reports that there have also been incidents where migrants have resisted the instructions and therefore fired warning shots in the air, as well as tear gas was used. The countries of origin of border crossers are different – there are people who have left Pakistan or India, such as the Gambia.

A state of emergency was declared in Lithuania on Friday and officials are convinced that this will allow the situation on the border with Belarus to be handled more successfully.

Lithuanian Deputy Minister of the Interior Vitaly Dmitrijev explained: “The emergency situation does not solve the problem itself, but helps to coordinate inter-institutional cooperation. Declaring a state of emergency is legally important because it will help to deal with this crisis more successfully. “

A new migrant camp has now been built on the Lithuanian border. Also, in view of the emergency situation, local governments should provide assistance to the border guard in accommodating migrants.

“Lazdijai district municipality is ready for a state of emergency. We have mattresses, sleeping bags, bed linen, hygiene products. And we agreed to hand over these things to the State Border Guard Service to help these people, ”said Ausma Miskiniene, the chairwoman of Lazdijai municipality.

Initially, all migrants will be tested for Covid-19 and will have to spend time in quarantine. The process of examining a migrant’s application for asylum will then begin.

This year, 938 people have tried to enter Lithuania, which is 12 times more than last year.

Alexander Lukashenko, the authoritarian leader of Belarus, has pointed out that due to the sanctions imposed by the European Union, Belarus has neither the resources nor the funding to stop migrants crossing the country. However, Lithuanian officials have indicated that Lukashenko has specially increased the flow of migrants in order to put pressure on Vilnius, which has become a refuge for many Belarusian opposition figures.

CONTEXT:

Number of migrants wanting from Belarus illegal entry into Lithuania, is growing every week – the Latvian Border Guard has received such signals from colleagues in Lithuania. In the first half of the year, more than 800 migrants were detained on the Lithuanian-Belarusian border, which is 10 times more than last year. In comparison, five have been detained on the Latvian-Belarusian border.

After Lithuania detained another 150 illegal migrants from Belarus at its border on 2 July, the Lithuanian government decided to declare a state of emergency in the countryto speed up decision-making on logistical, financial and other issues, including ensuring epidemiological security during a pandemic. Lithuanian officials say the situation is worrying enough.

Events on the Lithuanian-Belarusian border also call attention to the Latvian border guard. From Thursday, July 1, also on the Latvian border Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, is up and runningresponding to a request for assistance. This is the first time that experts have been admitted to Latvia for border surveillance.

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