The war of words between Poland and Belarus was escalated on Tuesday afternoon.
On Monday night, Poland said it was preventing hundreds of people from storming the border. The government of Poland warned that future attempts to cross the border could be of “armed nature”.
Several thousand migrants and refugees are in the border area, and tent camps have been set up at the Polish-Belarusian border.
– Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki believes Vladimir Putin is the mastermind behind the flow of migrants from Belarus to Poland. Photo: Olivier Hoslet / AP / NTB
–
On Tuesday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki will make harsh accusations against Russian President Vladimir Putin, claiming that Putin is behind the migrant crisis, reports the news agency AFP.
– This attack that Lukashenko is carrying out originates from Moscow. The mastermind behind this is President Putin, Morawiecki said during an emergency meeting of the Polish National Assembly on Tuesday.
– This is the first time in 30 years that our border security has been so brutally attacked, says the Prime Minister.
– Threatens EU security
The migrants who are trying to enter the country from Belarus threaten the security of the entire EU, Morawiecki says.
On Wednesday, Lithuania will introduce a one-month state of emergency in the border area with Belarus. According to Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte, this has not happened since Lithuania regained its independence in 1991, reports the broadcaster LRT.
– Belarusian soldiers (left) are on guard while migrants gather at the border near Grodno on Tuesday. Photo: Leonid Shcheglov / BelTA / NTB
–
The Baltic countries are in the worst crisis in 30 years, says Estonia’s Minister of Defense Kalle Laanet according to ERR.
The EU accuses the Lukashenko regime of “gangsterism” Reuters.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov proposes according to Reuters that the EU can give money to Belarus, to prevent the flow of migrants.
The Russian president and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko discussed the migrant crisis on Tuesday.
The two leaders have exchanged views on the situation, according to a statement from Moscow.
The two presidents discussed, among other things, “the harsh treatment from the Polish side aimed at peaceful people”. They are particularly concerned about the deployment of Polish military forces along the border, according to a Belarusian statement.
Hard against Belarus
Belarus has full and complete responsibility for the flow of migrants to the borders with Poland and Lithuania, says Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt (Labor).
– This crisis is due to the Belarusian authorities’ cynical use of vulnerable people as a foreign policy press tool, Huitfeldt writes in an email to NTB.
– – The migrant flow has been going on since this summer, and we have seen a sharp deterioration in recent days. This is something the Lukashenko regime has actively facilitated, says Anniken Huitfeldt (Labor). Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen / NTB
–
She adds that we are facing “a worrying and confusing humanitarian situation on the Polish-Belarusian border”.
– The exploitation of migrants shows the true face of this regime. We are in full solidarity with Poland, Lithuania and the EU in their efforts to deal with the crisis that the Belarusian authorities have created at the EU’s external borders, she continues.
The Foreign Minister emphasizes that Norway, together with close partners, will maintain the pressure on the Lukashenko regime “for its gross human rights violations and aggressive behavior towards neighboring countries”.
NATO believes Belarus is using migrants as a pawn in a game to put pressure on the EU, saying the country’s actions are unacceptable. Concerns about the situation of refugees at the border are growing, especially now that winter is approaching.
The EU has asked 13 countries to make an extra effort to prevent their citizens from going to Belarus in an attempt to advance further into Europe.
This is part of the EU’s efforts to solve the problem of the flow of migrants coming from Belarus, a spokesman for the European Commission said on Tuesday.
Congo, Egypt, Iraq and Turkey are among the countries the EU has contacted.
–
