MINSK, 1 September (BelTA) - Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of Belarus to the OSCE Andrei Lozovik responded to Lithuania as it mentioned Belarus in the context of transnational threats at the second working session of the 2021 Annual Security Review Conference, BelTA has learned.
“Instead of searching for solutions to migration problems by joint efforts, our Lithuanian colleagues have stooped to the absurd accusations of Belarus of deliberately helping asylum seekers to get into Lithuania, thus trying to shift the responsibility for their failures in border protection to Belarus. Moreover, ignoring the principles of bilateral mutually beneficial cooperation in border protection, Lithuania has resorted to the most radical methods of solving the migration problem," Andrei Lozovik said.
Contrary to the current agreements, Lithuania delivers the refugees who have asked for asylum in Lithuania to the border by force and squeezes them into the Belarusian territory. "Not only is this a direct violation of the agreement on the state border between the Republic of Belarus and the Republic of Lithuania, according to which a person detained by one of the parties is not sent back to the other if he/she has applied for asylum. This is also out of sync with the international law regarding refugees and, finally, the universal principles of morality.
Often, these actions are accompanied by the use of physical force and special means against migrants. They are intimidated by the threat of weapons and service dogs.
"I am sure everyone knows about the consequences of such actions. The inhumane and brutal actions of the Lithuanian security forces have already led to the death of one migrant and endangered the lives of several more. There were pregnant women and children among them. Lithuania's actions contradict the international law and run counter to the democratic principles that underlie European policy," Andrei Lozovik emphasized.
