migration must take place in accordance with the law / Article

It is attended by delegations from 28 countries, as well as representatives from various European Union agencies, with the aim of improving border management.

Vigilance is needed

Although the emergency situation in the Lithuanian border municipalities has been lifted as the situation has stabilized, the flow of migrants from Belarus has not stopped. That is also why the Lithuanian government decided this week to continue intensified military patrols at the border. At present, the European Union’s external border is guarded by around 1,000 soldiers assisting the border guards.

Delegations from several countries visited Friday to see the European Union’s eastern border with their own eyes and to discuss current security issues and cooperation. Addressing the meeting, the Lithuanian representatives emphasized that they wanted to be as open as possible and share how they were doing, while showing how serious the situation was still and how much it was necessary to discuss possible future threats.

“The reality is that without a physical barrier, we will not be able to defend ourselves, our citizens, national and European security,” Bilotaite said.

Rustama Lubayev, commander of the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service, said: “We still need to be vigilant to ensure control and protection of the border between Lithuania and Belarus, because it is, after all, the European Union’s external border.”

Migrants must not be used as a weapon

This international meeting is organized by Poland, Greece and Austria together with Lithuanians. It is important for Warsaw to discuss acute migration issues at European level. Greece has extensive experience in the fight against illegal border crossings. Austria, on the other hand, is experiencing a large influx of migrants in recent months due to the migration crisis caused by Belarus and wants to find a solution to this situation.

“It is clear that the pattern of migration has changed in recent years. We had a similar situation on the Greek-Turkish border in March 2020. Namely, the situation where third countries use migration and human suffering to achieve geopolitical goals, ”says Panajotis Mitarači, the Greek Minister of Migration and Asylum.

“This conference shows a common position that Europe has its own maritime and land borders, which we are ready to protect under international and European law. Migration must take place in accordance with the law, and not illegally and through human trafficking. “

Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Carner acknowledged: “Austria is a country affected by secondary migration, so we believe it is very important for us to support Lithuania and other countries to ensure strong protection of the European Union’s external security.”

Calls for the rights of asylum seekers to be respected

While there was unanimity and repeated condemnation of the Belarussian regime’s widespread hybrid attack on the European Union sitting at a large discussion table in Vilnius, there were differences of opinion on the solution to the crisis on some issues.

For example, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ilva Johansson spoke less about strengthening the border, but more about the need to respect the rights of asylum seekers and to cooperate more with migrants’ countries of origin.

“We cannot derogate from the individual right to seek asylum and the right to a fair trial. That is why we need to prevent people from smuggling, and quickly return people who do not have the right to stay in their countries of origin, ”said Johansson.

The Commissioner proposed setting up a European-level return system for migrants, while saying that Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus’s authoritarian leader, had apparently lost interest in using migrants in the current crisis. However, the Latvian Minister of the Interior did not agree with such a statement, pointing out that the number of illegal border crossers at our border is only increasing.

No one tried to cross the border last day, but a day earlier, Lithuanian border guards forced nine people to return. In Poland, too, the situation seems to have returned to normal, as Poles no longer have to repel hundreds of people every day. At the same time, the migration flow has not completely stopped there either. For example, another 56 people tried to enter Poland last day.

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