Lithuania will build a larger fence along the Belarusian border / Article

Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrīda Šimonīte said on Wednesday that Lithuania will strengthen border guards and plans to build an additional “physical barrier” along the Belarusian border to deter border crossers from crossing the border illegally.

Šimonīte accused the Belarusian authorities of facilitating illegal migration to Lithuania. At least 53 illegal migrants from Belarus have been detained on the Lithuanian-Belarusian border in the last 24 hours. This year, more than 1,400 border violators have been detained.

Šimonīte announced that in the near future soldiers will be deployed at the border with Belarus, as well as physical barriers to reduce the flow of illegal migrants.

Charles Michel, President of the Council of the European Union, who visited Lithuania on Tuesday and got acquainted with the situation on the border with Belarus, also promised help in resolving the situation.

“We view this process as a hybrid aggression against not only Lithuania, but the European Union as a whole. This is the Belarussian regime’s response to the principled stance of the European Union and Lithuania against the rigged presidential elections and the crackdown on civil society and freedom of expression in Belarus, ”said Šimonīte.

“We are convinced that the institutions of the Belarussian regime are actively and passively involved in organizing the flow of illegal migrants, deliberately creating conditions for people to cross the border. The aim of such action is to harm our country and destabilize the situation, ”said Šimonīte.

CONTEXT:

In the summer of 2021 the number of migrants has increased significantly, which is trying to enter the territory of Lithuania from Belarus. Most migrants are refugees from Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. Lithuanian officials believe that the Belarusian authorities deliberately does not constitute an obstacle to the crossing of the borderto punish Lithuania for supporting the Belarusian opposition and imposing sanctions on the Alexander Lukashenko regime. Lithuania describes such action as the spread of a hybrid war against the European Union.

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