Lithuania has asked the European Union to help it contain the wave of migration resulting from the tension with the Belarusian regime

The Lithuanian President, Nauseous gypsies, asked for help from the European Union (EU) in the face of the sharp increase in the number of people entering their country illegally via Belarus, against the backdrop of the conflict between Brussels and the regime of Alexander Lukashenko.

“The protection of the external borders of the European Union is the joint responsibility of all the Member States”the president said in a joint letter with Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa to the leaders of the continental bloc.

Lithuania is in a difficult situation and needs help to protect and monitor its border with neighboring Belarus, according to the letter published on Sunday on the website of the Lithuanian presidency.

Belarusian dictator Lukashenko has repeatedly threatened the European Union to allow the passage of refugees from war zones in response to sanctions imposed on his country. Lithuania, which shares nearly 700 kilometers of border, is particularly affected by this situation.

In recent weeks, thousands of migrants have crossed the border illegally. Authorities on Wednesday reported a record toll of more than three thousand people, as reported by the National Border Guard Service (SBGS).

With the arrival of 171 other migrants registered on Tuesday this reached a total of 3,027 people, 1,910 of which are from Iraq, who have entered Lithuania so far this year, most from Belarus.

The latest figures show a substantial increase from the 1,700 irregular crossings recorded just two weeks ago, when the Lithuanian parliament passed emergency laws to speed up the resolution of asylum claims and allow detention until six months of those who arrive in the country.

SBGS data is also known as border authorities warn that Thousands of potential migrants could congregate near the Lithuanian-Belarusian border with the intention of crossing it.

“We know that in Grodno there may be a few thousand migrants now waiting to cross the border,” said the SBGS deputy commander, Mačaitis lives, at the Lithuanian news site “delfi.lt”.

The Lithuanian authorities consider this massive influx of people from the Middle East to be a deliberate move to send irregular immigrants to the territory of this Baltic republic.

Lithuania accuses the Lukashenko regime of using immigrants from countries such as Iraq, Congo, Cameroon, Guinea and Syria “as a weapon” by letting them enter its territory. “We are facing a hybrid attack and a state-sponsored use of illegal migration as a weapon,” wrote Nauseda and Jansa.

Due to the influx of migrants, Lithuania recently tightened its asylum regulations and started erecting a fence in the border area. However, due to the lack of barbed wire, construction of the border fence recently came to a halt. The authorities have also set up a new camp for migrants.

Protesters said they feared the camp’s installation would attract more irregular immigrants and bring crime and disorder to rural communities in the region.

In recent weeks, the EU border agency Frontex has already sent border guards and additional equipment to the Baltic country from the EU. The European Commissioner for the Interior, Ylva johansson, last month demanded the dispatch of “at least sixty agents”.

In full tension with Brussels, Lukashenko threatened a few days ago not to contain the growing number of migrants seeking to cross to other European countries.

“They are suffocating us and should we protect them? Listen, isn’t that naive? Naively, it’s already crazy “the dictator said in a meeting on foreign policy priorities.

He argued that Minsk, with its own money, is taking measures at the border to “eliminate illegal activities, including the fight against undocumented immigration and the supply of drugs and weapons”, whereas before the EU provided funding.

“Suddenly something happened last year. You know what. And they imposed sanctions on us and accuse Lukashenko of promoting illegal immigration ”, He referred to the EU’s reaction to the crackdown on anti-government protests after the fraudulent presidential elections last August.

“Now what? Do you want me to multiply by five the (number) of border guards and troops and take them to the border? Who will pay? Faced with the strangulation of our people and our state, who will pay? ”, underlined the president.

Lukashenko argued that the increase in migratory flows to Europe was largely caused by the policies of various EU countries: “You called them: give them everything they need, put them on an equal footing with their citizens.

With information from Europa Press and EFE

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