On assistance to migrants on the borders
19.11.2021 г.Owing to some circumstances beyond its control, Belarus has recently encountered an increase in the flow of migrants from conflict-affected countries who traverse through its territory on their way to the European Union countries. This transit route is neither something new nor unique while it is certainly significantly inferior in scale to the migrant flows that Greece and Italy have been facing. As a matter of fact, the transit via Belarus used to take place at earlier times too, but Belarus and its neighbors, by working together, used to succeed in ensuring common interests in the field of regional security and border protection.
The situation has changed after the European Union refused to continue to engage with Belarus in a constructive manner. The EU’s sanctions-driven decision to terminate cooperation on international technical assistance projects, which used to serve the purpose of ensuring security on the EU’s borders with Belarus, put at risk the existing Belarusian-European agreements on border resolution issues. The EU has frozen its funding for an international technical assistance project for the construction of detention centers for illegal migrants in Belarus, as was stipulated in the Readmission Agreement and the Declaration on Partnership for Mobility. Therefore, Belarus has been deprived of necessary capacities to continue its work on addressing common illegal migration challenges at the same level of priority.
Since last April Belarus has on several occasions proposed to the European Commission to organize consultations on the above technical assistance project and, generally, on cooperation in combatting illegal migration. Unfortunately, the EU has consistently refused all our offers of a dialogue and opted instead for politicizing the problem, while applying double standards in gauging its Member States’ actions that have come under criticism from international organizations (UNHCR, IOM, OSCE, Council of Europe, etc.).
Belarus neither promotes illegal migration to the EU countries in any way nor does it use its airspace for these purposes, as Western countries have constantly been trying to present the case. The visa-free procedure for entry and exit from “migration risk” countries is valid if there is a valid multiple-entry visa of member states of the European Union or member states of the Schengen area with a mark of entry into the territory of a member state of the European Union or a member state of the Schengen area, as well as air tickets with confirmation of departure dates.
Belarus is deeply concerned about the current tense situation on its borders with Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, which has been exacerbated by Western politicians’ constant demonstrations of readiness to accept migrants on humanitarian and economic grounds, which serve only to encourage and reassure potential asylum seekers. These promises, however, turn out in reality to be an empty PR campaign.
Belarus does not hide anything, because it does not violate its international obligations. Indeed, Belarus has permitted relevant international agencies to have access to the migrants on its side of the border and continues to cooperate with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Organization for Migration and the Belarusian Red Cross Society with the view to providing assistance to these people in distress.
The assertions made by Poland, Lithuania and a number of other states about Belarus’ refusal to permit humanitarian aid to migrants are an outright lie, which serves the purpose of pulling out extra funding from the EU budget for the construction of their own barbed wire barriers at the border. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees Mr. Filippo Grandi confirmed the fact that Belarus had indeed allowed humanitarian aid to reach migrants through UNHCR, IOM and the Belarusian Red Cross Society. This was also corroborated the UN Secretary General’s press secretary during a recent regular briefing at the United Nations Headquarters.
The joint press-release issued by IOM and UNHCR on 12 November 2021, whereby it stated that the day before both agencies received access to a temporary camp on the Belarusian side of the border near the international checkpoint “Bruzgi”, where a group of some 2,000 asylum seekers, refugees and migrants has been staying since 8 November 2021, fully attested to Belarus’ cooperation with international organizations, which is in sharp contrast to an opposite stance embraced by Poland and Lithuania. There are many children and women among the migrants, including pregnant women. During the visit, UNHCR and IOM delivered some emergency assistance, including hygiene items for children and women, and some food. They will provide in the near future additional aid items such as blankets, warm clothes, gloves, hats and boots for children, which will be delivered by the Belarusian Red Cross Society, a partner of the above organizations. IOM and UNHCR used the opportunity during the visit to talk to the people, while, on their part, the agencies provided credible information to the migrants as for the options available to them.
What is worth noting is that Poland forwarded to Belarus some absurd and unreasonable demands to allow Polish humanitarian convoys to Belarus. There is no logic to Poland’s actions insofar as Poland could easily provide this assistance on its side of the border. Poland, however, has embarked on a deliberate and cynical manipulation of facts by mixing the notions of an international humanitarian aid and its own humanitarian convoy.
Furthermore, both Poland and Lithuania have declared a state of emergency on some territories along their borders. Poland continues to bring to the border military contingent and special equipment thereby vigorously escalating the situation. Water cannons were placed right in front of the barbed wire, just a couple of meters from the migrants. Those who managed to break into Poland were taken away by the Polish personal to some other place along the border and then forcefully pushed back to Belarus.
Poland has been pursuing lawless policies not just against foreigners seeking asylum, but also against its own citizens who attempt to show mercy to the people in distress. For example, the Polish Public Association “Doctors at the Border” reported that volunteer doctors had been attacked by the Polish military, with the latter damaging their cars by punching wheels and breaking headlights.
Journalists do not have access to border areas in principle, while those who manage to enter there find themselves at risk of being forcefully detained. Belarus, by contrast, provides access to journalists and media representatives, including foreign ones, in particular CNN.
As far as Belarus is concerned, it opted not for being a side observer of the horrible situation at the border set in motion by the Polish authorities, but rather for supporting the migrants with everything necessary to save their lives while waiting for Europe to respond to their appeals for international protection and asylum.
Belarus handed over food kits to the spontaneous camp of migrants near the Polish border, which included bakery and sausage products, stew, water, sweets and fruits, as well as hygiene kits, warm clothes and blankets, firewood, and electric generators. In total, the following items have already been distributed: drinking water — 7 tons; milk — 6 tons; meat products — 1.5 tons; sausages — 2 tons, beef stew — 500 kg; canned meat — 3 tons; canned vegetables — 0.8 tons; bakery products — 7 tons; confectionery — 3 tons; fruit — 1 ton; 100 food sets, warm clothes — 3200 units, clothes — 1000 units; 811 wool blankets. Assistance continues to flow.
The aid was collected by Belarus’ state-owned enterprises working in food and light industries with the support of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the UNHCR, the Afghan community in the Republic of Belarus, as well as some Belarusian non-governmental public associations, in particular the Belarusian Women’s Union.
Belarusian doctors provide qualified free-of-charge medical assistance to the people stranded at the border, both directly on-site and at medical institutions, if necessary, in particular, to pregnant women and children. Measures have been taken to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection in places of migrants’ congregation.
The current chaos on the border is not Belarus’s fault, but the West is going to great lengths to convince the world and the European community in something totally opposite. According to “The Guardian”, Belarus has become a convenient excuse for “masking the cruelty of Europe”. The facts tell us that it is not Belarus that is “instrumentalizing” migrants, as the EU and some other states preach from high rostrums. It is rather the European Union that is “instrumentalizing” them when, by accusing Belarus, it attempts to justify its refusal to comply with the obligations under the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees as well as its numerous violations of European and international norms, both in the area of human rights and asylum.
Belarus awaits when the EU will begin to act in accordance with the declarations delivered by Mr. Josep Borrell, the European diplomatic chief, who said in an interview to “France 24” that “the migration crisis cannot be resolved by erecting a wall on the Polish-Belarusian border”.
Belarus stands ready to work with all international partners, including Western countries, and to put aside political differences in order to prevent the migration crisis in our region from sliding into a humanitarian catastrophe and, thus, to save human lives.
