Belarus said on Thursday that the approximately 2,000 migrants camped at the Polish border should be admitted to the Euroepan Union. If the EU agrees, Minsk would take care of the rest of the other 5,000 who are currently on Belarusian territory, according to Natalya Eismont, the spokeswoman of the Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Belarus has already sent the first repatriation flight with the Iraqis to Baghdad.
“The European Union will create a humanitarian corridor for the 2,000 refugees in the camp. We will take care of returning the other 5,000 to their homes as soon as possible and if they want to,” said Eismont.
On Thursday, Belarus has already sent its first repatriation flight with 431 Iraqis to Baghdad, the Free Europe radio station reported.
According to Eismont, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is to negotiate with the EU on the creation of a humanitarian corridor to Germany. Germany has not yet commented on Minsk’s statements.
This week, Merkel spoke to President Lukashenko two times. After a phone call on Tuesday, Minsk announced that negotiations between the EU and Belarus were afoot. Germany did not confirm or deny this.
The EU claims that Lukashenko deliberately provoked a migration crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border in retaliation for European sanctions. The Belarusian president denies this and claims that the EU should take care of migrants because, according to him, the West is responsible for the deteriorating situation in the Middle East and Afghanistan.
