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Belarus decides to reject migrants until the EU lifts sanctions

Politiko 2021-10-06 09:55:30

Belarus decides to reject migrants until the EU lifts sanctions

Belarus's parliament has voted in favor of suspending an agreement with the European Union to attract migrants. Lawmakers decided to lift the obligation on Belarus to readmit immigrants who crossed its territory.

The decision was announced by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in June. Interior Minister Ivan Kubrakov described the suspension of the agreement as a "temporary measure" and said the migrants would be readmitted once "relations normalize".

Mr Lukashenko and his officials say the move is part of Belarus' response to EU sanctions on Minsk. The president has stated that the country can not afford the costs involved in curbing the influx of migrants going to Europe and will instead use the funds to offset the impact of EU sanctions.

Neighboring Poland and Lithuania have struggled to cope with an extremely high number of migrants, mostly from Iraq and Afghanistan, arriving at their borders with Belarus in recent months.

The EU has accused Lukashenko of encouraging the influx of migrants and using them as weapons in a "hybrid war" against the 27-nation bloc.

Poland has responded to large-scale migration by deploying troops, refusing to allow migrants to apply for asylum and pushing some across the border into Belarus.

Source: Euronews

 

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