ASV a European national delegations YEAR The Security Council condemned on Thursday Belarusian action on the migrant crisis on its border with Poland.
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Russia the president Vladimir Putin has called on the European Union (EU) to start negotiations on some 2,000 migrants, mainly Kurds from the Middle East, living in a tent camp in Belarus near Poland borders.
Poland refuses to admit them and has announced that the government of Belarus’s dictator Alexander Lukashenko has attracted thousands of migrants to Belarus with a view to sending them across the border to Poland and thus to the EU in revenge for EU sanctions.
ASV, British, Of Estonia, France, Ireland, Norwegian a Albania following an extraordinary meeting on the crisis, delegations issued a joint statement condemning the “coordinated instrumentalisation of people whose lives and well-being are at stake for political reasons in Belarus”.
The statement said Belarus was doing so “with the aim of destabilizing neighboring countries and European Union external border and divert attention from its growing human rights abuses “.
The statement did not mention Belarus’ ally Russia, which denied Western allegations that it was working with Minsk to send migrants across the EU’s eastern border to Poland ahead of the meeting.
“This tactic is unacceptable and calls for a strong international response and cooperation to bring Belarus to justice,” the Western statement said, without mentioning concrete steps to punish Belarus.
“It demonstrates how the Lukashenko regime has become a threat to regional stability. We call on the Belarussian authorities to put an end to these inhumane activities and not to endanger human lives,” the West added in a statement.
“International organizations must have immediate and unhindered access to humanitarian aid for the people there. The Belarusian authorities must realize that the European Union will not be able to be pressured in this way by cynically instrumentalizing migrants.”
Western countries expressed “deep concern over the dire situation of migrants” and called on the Belarussian authorities to “provide and facilitate appropriate protection and care”.
They stated that they were ready to discuss new measures against Belarus because of this migrant situation.
“Together, we express our solidarity with Poland and Lithuania and stand ready to discuss further steps we can take to support and crack down on those involved in the Lukashenko regime and facilitating the illegal crossing of the European Union’s external borders. We remain united and committed to protecting The EU out of these hybrid operations by the Belarussian authorities, “said a joint statement published on the US Permanent Mission ‘s website.
The signatories of the statement called on countries from which illegal migrants come to cooperate in order to prevent their citizens from “falling into the trap set by the Belarusian authorities”.
Russia’s deputy ambassador to the UN, Dmitry Polanski, denied the question about Western allegations that Russia and Belarus were sending migrants to Poland together, saying “no, absolutely no.”
Asked about the flights of Russian fighter jets over Belarus, Polanski said they were a response to the concentration of Polish forces at the border.
“We also have our responsibilities within the unity of Russia and Belarus. Therefore, if there is a concentration of military resources on the Belarusian border, we must react. These are just reconnaissance flights, nothing more,” Polanski said.
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