MINSK, 16 November (BelTA) – The situation at Belarus' border is under control despite the existing tension in the area of the Bruzgi checkpoint where a large number of refugees have amassed, Chairman of the State Border Committee of Belarus Anatoly Lappo told reporters answering a question from BelTA.
“The personnel is being reorganized in line with the usual service routine. Of course, I admit that some of our border guards have increased workloads. Anyway, this is part of our job description,” he said.
The head of the State Border Committee expects that the situation will stabilize and the European Union will come to its senses and allow refugees, among whom there are many women and children, to enter its territory. “Of course, it hurts us, border guards, to see children and women spending the night on the ground. Little children ... It is disturbing to see it,” said Anatoly Lappo.
He emphasized that Belarus provides humanitarian aid to the refugees. “As for our Polish counterparts, I have not seen a single Polish border guard handing over a bottle of water to a refugee child through the barbed wire. And if this child turns to us, we will never refuse. There is footage showing a Polish border guard on the other side drinking water and a small child, 3-4 years old, coming up and asking with a gesture to give him a drink, and the Polish border guard turns away. If the Poles wanted to help, they would give this water to a child even through the barbed wire. Well, they could bring food to the borderline, move the barbed wire apart and give this food to the refugees. I have not seen this happening and I think we will not see it,” Anatoly Lappo said.
