GRODNO DISTRICT, 26 November (BelTA) – Refugees from Afghanistan will try to get to the European Union through Ukraine, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with refugees at the logistics center near the Bruzgi checkpoint on the Belarusian-Polish border on 26 November, BelTA has learned.
According to the head of state, Belarus has concerns over the issue. Ukrainians are building up their security forces at the border to stop migrants. “There is another topic that worries us. They bombed Afghanistan, destroyed the country. Afghans are fleeing the country by air and even by land. They seek to pass not only via Belarus but also via Ukraine. Ukraine has begun to deploy its troops at the borders to prevent the refugees from getting through,” said the head of state.
Belarus, according to the president, will not stop refugees on their way to the European Union. “We will help those who want to go home, but we will not do it by force. That is your right. Those who want to go west, it is your right. We will not grab and beat you, detain your behind barbed wire,” the Belarusian leader said.
According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, Western countries are worried about the fact that some 2,000 refugees have gathered near the border with the EU. “They are afraid of it, because all the news agencies are showing your faces. They would like us to keep you scattered either in Belarus or Ukraine, or bring you back home. They would like us to close this camp. I will reiterate that we will not do anything by force. If you want to leave, we will help you. If you don't want to leave, we will do everything in our power to save your lives, especially the lives of your children and wives,” the president stressed.
