MINSK, 11 November (BelTA) – It is necessary to strengthen a focus on helping the refugees trapped on the border, especially pregnant women and children, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at a meeting with the leadership of the Council of Ministers in Minsk on 11 November, BelTA has learned.
Among other things, the head of state gave an instruction to provide the refugees with dry firewood.
“You see what is happening on the state border and around it. I'll put it frankly: this problem is not as big as the media present it. But I don't blame the media. Because it has a strong preventive effect. They have zeroed in on Belarus. But there are three to five other routes like this in the world that are used by millions of those fleeing the war. But somehow the situation on Belarus' borders with Poland, Lithuania and Latvia became front-page news. The Belarusian-Ukrainian border is now also coming into focus. This also bothers me. Probably it bothers Russia too,” the president noted.
“Therefore, I would like to emphasize that this problem is strongly exaggerated today. But the media did it right highlighting this problem to prevent this from happening in the future,” the head of state added. “Journalists are doing a great job by showing the true face of this democracy. Finally, our society and others will understand what kind of democracy and human rights, freedom of speech they have there in the West, which they have continuously lectured us about.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko has set a number of tasks for the government. He asked Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko to give appropriate instructions to the government, the Education Ministry, and the deputy prime minister in charge of social matters. “We need to pay attention to pregnant women and children. The situation is catastrophic. There are a lot of pregnant women who are due soon, a month or two. This is something we will have to deal with as they will probably give birth here. They say they are not leaving the camp. But how's this going to be? Temperatures are falling. They do not know yet how cold it may be in Belarus, in the forests during winter. But they don't want to leave. So we have to be prepared.”
In this regard, the president also asked Chairwoman of the Council of the Republic Natalya Kochanova to get involved: “Maybe you could ask them to give their children to us. We would place them in our sanatoriums. Perhaps together with mothers. Pregnant women and children are the number one issue. We cannot abandon them. Especially children. We would at least be able to provide them with a shower and food there.”
“As for pregnant women, when it is time for them to give birth, we will, of course, take them to hospital and provide them with everything necessary,” the head of state said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko also ordered to bring dry firewood to the migrants. “We need to bring them firewood. They are not going to leave. We suggested that they leave this place,” said the head of state.
The president said that as of the morning on 11 November there were 1,790 people in the camp; 322 more are on the Polish side, whom the Poles tried to push back to Belarus at night. “It did not work. They do not want to leave. These 322 people are currently there. Never mind, they will sort it out there. But these 1,790 people, who are in the camp near Bruzgi need to be provided with firewood,” the Belarusian leader added.
The president also instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to raise the relevant issues with the UN and other international bodies.
