MINSK, 10 November (BelTA) – In 2021 Belarus turned back 11 flows of illegal migrants at its border, Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei said in an interview with RIA Novosti. Excerpts of the interview were posted in the official Twitter account of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, BelTA has learned.
“We keep defending and guarding our border. This year alone, about 700 persons were detained for attempting to cross the border, 11 flows of illegal migrants were stopped, 14 criminal cases were opened,” Vladimir Makei said.
He emphasized that the great number of illegal migrants striving to get to distant EU countries through Belarus is an objective result of a geopolitical situation. “The accusations against Belarus have no grounds. This is not the fault of Belarus. This is the result of the EU's thoughtless policy that led to destruction of statehood in a number of countries. The EU invited refugees and promised to shelter them, but later changed its mind, and now it is trying to punish Belarus this way,” the foreign minister said.
Vladimir Makei noted that a new iron curtain or a Berlin wall is being built on the EU-Belarus border. “Who will benefit from it? I doubt that civil society will. Will this help to deter migrants? I also doubt it,” he said.
“Unfortunately, other EU countries listen to what Poland, Lithuania and Latvia are saying. And these EU countries are not so well-informed about the situation in Belarus. It could be expected that Brussels would play a role in this situation and assume a coordinating role, including in politics towards Belarus. But this is not happening,” the diplomat added.
