Belarus threatens EU with mass migration, restricts flow of goods
BELARUSIAN President Alexander Lukashenko threatened to allow masses of migrants into Europe, and Germany in particular, in response to sanctions imposed by Europe over disputed elections, a mass crackdown and the detention of political opponents.
He told a government meeting on Tuesday he would allow masses of refugees from countries such as Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq into Europe. “We will not stop anyone,” Lukashenko said.
People are on their way from war zones to “warm and comfortable Europe,” and Germany needs workers, he quipped.
This is sure to set Minsk on a further confrontation course with the European Union.
In a joint press conference with Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte, European Council President Charles Michel said the EU was ready to support the Belarusian neighbour.
“We will try to do our best in order to give more concrete support to the Lithuanian authorities,” he said, adding that he would raise the matter during a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi next week.
Lithuania shares a 6 0-kilometer border with Belarus. It declared a state of emergency last Friday after 150 migrants reportedly entered the country from Belarus. In recent weeks,
Lithuanian top politicians have accused Lukashenko of manufacturing a dramatic surge of migrants crossing its borders into the European Union, including by hiking up the number of ights between Afghanistan and Belarus.
Also on Tuesday, Lukashenko announced that he would no longer allow goods to transit through Belarus to Russia and China.
“Do you remember Skoda and Nivea and so on We told them: guys, thank you and goodbye ” Lukashenko told his ministers.
The Belarusian market was closed as a first step, he said. The movement of goods through the country would now be banned in a second step, he added.
“The same must be done with the Germans. Let them deliver their goods to Russia and China through Finland. Or go through Ukraine - there are good routes - and deliver their goods there.”
Lukashenko’s moves follow a slew of sanctions imposed by the European Union over the violent crackdown on protest that followed last year’s disputed presidential elections which were widely seen as rigged.
Sanctions imposed by Europe and also by the United States are putting pressure on Belarus, which is receiving financial support from Moscow.
Belarus has long been financially dependent on Russia, with debts running into the billions.
The sanctions, however, do not appear to be deterring Minsk from its crackdown on opponents. On Tuesday, prominent opposition figure Viktor Babariko was sentenced to 14 years in a prison camp in Belarus on charges he said were politically motivated.
Sanctions imposed by Europe and also by the United States are putting pressure on Belarus, which is receiving financial support from Moscow. Belarus has long been financially dependent on Russia