“Iraq 18.[novembrī] will take the first flight for those who want to return voluntarily from Belarus, Iraqi Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed as Sahaf said on Iraqi television on Monday.
He did not mention how many people will be on the trip, just saying that 571 Iraqis have been identified, who are currently on the border with Poland in Belarus.
Returning to Iraq will be voluntary, the official added.
Airlines’ scheduled flights between Baghdad and Minsk have been suspended since August, but Belarusian missions in Baghdad and the Iraqi Kurdistan capital Erbil have been closed for more than a week.
The move has reduced the number of Iraqis going to Belarus, but “the problem is that some are now flying indirect flights through Turkey, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt,” Sahaf said.
Turkey banned Syrian, Iraqi and Yemeni citizens from flying from its airports to Belarus on Friday, while Syrian private airline Cham Wings Airlines suspended flights to Minsk on Saturday.
European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Shins will arrive in Baghdad on Monday to discuss the migration crisis.
As part of an extensive hybrid attack on the regime of Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, attempts have been made in recent months to send thousands of illegal immigrants from Belarus to Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, most of whom have arrived in Belarus as tourists from Iraq.
However, since last Monday, there have been massive attempts by Belarusians to violently break into Polish territory.
The European Union has accused the Minsk regime of trying to avenge support for the Belarusian opposition and of sanctions against Belarus in response to last year’s violent crackdown on protests.
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