EU Parliament's foreign affairs committee discussed the situation in the member states at the bloc's border with Belarus. Permanent Representative of Poland to the European Union Andrzej Sadoś said there was no doubt that the migrant crisis was planned and systemically orchestrated by Belarusian authorities.
"It's obvious that Lukashenko's regime is testing EU's resilience. (...) There's no doubt that the migrant crisis at the border with Belarus has been planned and systemically orchestrated by Belarusian authorities. Instrumental use of migrants and exposing them to danger in order to achieve political goals is a blatant violation of human rights and international law. It also qualifies as a hybrid attack on the EU and a threat to our common security and stability," the Polish ambassador said during the debate.
He added that an organised disinformation campaign launched by Belarus and Russia was part of the this hybrid attack. "Its goal is to discredit our countries and efforts aimed at securing our borders and creating division in Europe," he said.
"Unity and multi-dimensional support from the EU and its member states is crucial for effective response to the challenge thrown down by Minsk. It's in our common interest to send a clear signal to the world that passage through Belarus does not work. It's not about protection against migrants, but about depriving Belarus of a destabilisation instrument," Sadoś argued.
Sadoś also said Poland was ready to provide necessary help to all people in line with the international law, but it also had to take necessary steps to prevent further illegal immigration and secure the EU borders.
State of emergency
Poland declared a state of emergency in two regions bordering Belarus on Thursday following a surge of illegal migration that Warsaw has blamed on its neighbour.
The emergency order - the first of its kind in Poland since communist times - banned mass gatherings and limited people's movements in a 3-km (2-mile) deep strip of land along the frontier for 30 days, the government said.
Aid groups working with migrants said there had already been an increase in Polish police and armoured vehicles in the area in recent days, and that they were worried the order would limit their work and leave refugees stranded.
"The atmosphere is generally violent, there are uniformed, armed servicemen everywhere...it reminds me of war," Marta Anna Kurzyniec, a resident of the Polish border town of Krynki, told Reuters
Barbed wire at the border
Poland began building a barbed wire fence last week to curb the flow of migrants from countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan.
The EU imposed economic sanctions on Belarus following a disputed election in August 2020 and a crackdown on the opposition, and says Lukashenko has deliberately encouraged migrants to cross into Poland, Latvia and Lithuania in retaliation.
Belarus' Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei on Thursday blamed "Western politicians" for the situation on the borders, Belarusian state news agency Belta reported.
"Belarus has always honored all the provisions of our agreements to the letter," Makei told a news conference.
"Difficult and dangerous"
Polish presidential spokesman Blazej Spychalski said the situation on the border was "difficult and dangerous".
"Today, we as Poland, being responsible for our own borders, but also for the borders of the European Union, must take measures to ensure the security of Poland and the (EU)," he said.
Rights activists have accused Polish authorities of denying adequate medical care to stranded migrants. Warsaw says they are the responsibility of Belarus.
Marysia Złonkiewicz from the aid group Chlebem i Solą (With Bread and Salt) said police had asked them to stop their activity along the border before the state of emergency was announced.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, PAP, Reuters