KYIV: Lawmakers in Belarus have voted to postpone a deal with the European Union that mandates the former Soviet nation to take back migrants who crossed its territory into the EU.
A vote in the upper house of the Belarusian parliament late on Monday formalizes a move announced by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in June.
Lukashenko and his officials have described the measure as part of Belarus’ response to EU sanctions, arguing that the nation cannot afford the costs involved in stopping the flow of migrants headed to Europe. And will instead use the money to offset the effect. EU sanctions.
Belarus’ EU Neighbors Poland And Lithuania has been struggling to deal with unusually high numbers of migrants from most of Iraq and Afghanistan arriving at its borders with Belarus in recent months. He has accused Lukashenko of encouraging the flow of migrants and using them as a weapon in what he describes as a “hybrid war” against the 27-nation bloc in retaliation for his sanctions on Belarus.
EU sanctions came into force in 2020 after the Belarus government cracked down on anti-government protesters and tightened this year after Belarus forcibly diverted a passenger plane to arrest an opposition journalist .
Poland has responded to mass migration by deploying troops, refusing migrants to apply for asylum and pushing some back across the border into Belarus. The tough approach has drawn criticism from human rights groups. Poland’s influential Catholic Church Appealed on Monday for humanitarian aid for migrants.
Interior Minister of Belarus, speaking in the Belarusian Parliament Ivan Kubrakov described the suspension of the readmission agreement as a “temporary measure”, adding that the readmission agreement with the EU could take effect “after the normalization of relations”.
pavel latushkoA prominent figure in the Belarusian opposition living in Poland accused the Belarusian authorities of encouraging the flow of migrants into the EU.
“Lukashenko is taking revenge against the EU by starting a hybrid war and using refugees to openly blackmail European officials,” Latushko told the Associated Press. “The migration is part of a broader campaign of confrontation with the West pursued by the Belarusian authorities.”
A vote in the upper house of the Belarusian parliament late on Monday formalizes a move announced by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in June.
Lukashenko and his officials have described the measure as part of Belarus’ response to EU sanctions, arguing that the nation cannot afford the costs involved in stopping the flow of migrants headed to Europe. And will instead use the money to offset the effect. EU sanctions.
Belarus’ EU Neighbors Poland And Lithuania has been struggling to deal with unusually high numbers of migrants from most of Iraq and Afghanistan arriving at its borders with Belarus in recent months. He has accused Lukashenko of encouraging the flow of migrants and using them as a weapon in what he describes as a “hybrid war” against the 27-nation bloc in retaliation for his sanctions on Belarus.
EU sanctions came into force in 2020 after the Belarus government cracked down on anti-government protesters and tightened this year after Belarus forcibly diverted a passenger plane to arrest an opposition journalist .
Poland has responded to mass migration by deploying troops, refusing migrants to apply for asylum and pushing some back across the border into Belarus. The tough approach has drawn criticism from human rights groups. Poland’s influential Catholic Church Appealed on Monday for humanitarian aid for migrants.
Interior Minister of Belarus, speaking in the Belarusian Parliament Ivan Kubrakov described the suspension of the readmission agreement as a “temporary measure”, adding that the readmission agreement with the EU could take effect “after the normalization of relations”.
pavel latushkoA prominent figure in the Belarusian opposition living in Poland accused the Belarusian authorities of encouraging the flow of migrants into the EU.
“Lukashenko is taking revenge against the EU by starting a hybrid war and using refugees to openly blackmail European officials,” Latushko told the Associated Press. “The migration is part of a broader campaign of confrontation with the West pursued by the Belarusian authorities.”
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