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Lukashenko: We are working for the return of immigrants to their countries, they do not want

The message that the Belarus works “actively” to return to their countries Immigrants have set up makeshift camps on the country’s border with the EU, the Belarusian president said today, Monday (15/11) Alexander Lukashenko, but emphasizing that they do not want to leave.

“We are ready, as we have always been, to put them all on planes (…) which will take them home,” Lukashenko was quoted as saying by the state-run Belta news agency. “An intense campaign is being carried out to convince these people ‘please come back’, but no one wants that,” he added.

It is recalled that thousands of migrants, mostly from the Middle East, have been at the border for many days between Belarus and Poland in the middle of cold.

“I want to emphasize this: we do not want any border clashes. It would be very sad “, the Belarusian president underlined, while at the same time accuses Poland of “needing” this crisis because of “internal problems” and tensions with its EU partners.

What the EU blames on Belarus – Airlines block Syrian, Iraqi, Afghan and Yemeni boarding

It is noted that the EU accuses Minsk of organizing these migratory flows by issuing entry permits and chartering planes to transport migrants, so that they can then cross the border into Poland and cross into the EU. in retaliation for Western sanctions imposed on the Lukashenko regime last year after the violent suppression of opposition demonstrations.

In this context, as reported by APE-MPE, the Belarusian airline Belavia announced on Sunday that Syrians, Iraqis, Afghans and Yemenis no longer allowed to board its planes in Dubai to Belarus. Following pressure from European diplomats and Turkey ban Syrians, Iraqis and Yemenis from traveling to Belarus.

Private Syrian airline Charm Wings Airlines has also suspended flights to Minsk.

At the same time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus denied today as “Absurd” the accusations of the West that the immigration crisis at the country’s borders is being constructed by Minsk. Besides, the representative of the ministry Anatoly Glass, speaking to Sputnik, denied that Belavia had smuggled migrants in the past or that it planned to do so in the future. “We have stated quite clearly, repeatedly and at various levels: the national airline OJSC Belavia has never transported, does not transport and will not transport refugees or irregular migrants,” he said.

European foreign ministers are preparing for severe sanctions

The Commission building

At the same time, EU foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels today announce new severe sanctions against Belarus.

European Union to toughen sanctions on Belarus, German Foreign Minister announced today Haiko Maas. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has called for the lifting of all sanctions. We will give our answer today: we will further toughen the sanctions “, said Maas coming to the meeting. He also spoke of “greater rigor” for the people involved in smuggling migrants, “Serious financial sanctions are inevitable”.

“We will continue on this path of austerity because there is no reasonable alternative,” Maas added.

For his part, the Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis requested today all Belarus airports be “out of bounds” for airlines that may be transporting potential migrants. “We need to make Minsk airport a no-fly zone,” he told reporters.

His Danish counterpart Yeppe Kofont He said his country was fully in favor of a new round of European sanctions against Belarus. “We hope that today we will be able to agree on a fifth package,” he told a meeting of EU foreign ministers.

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