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“There were really voices of solidarity around the table, from north to south. We are really listened to, our European partners support us, “the minister told BNS on Monday after the EU foreign ministers meeting.
Mr. Landsberg proposed three options for colleagues: the introduction of a fifth package of sanctions, covering both individuals and companies, the extension of sectoral sanctions or the imposition of sanctions on specific companies that organize these migratory flows.
“Those companies are not necessarily in Belarus, we have to see who is involved in promoting those processes. At the moment, I would not like to name specific companies because I do not have detailed information, but with the help of the EU, we could find such information and implement EU measures, “said the minister.
According to Landsberg, the current way migrants travel is different from what was seen in the mid-1990s, when asylum seekers from the Middle East traveled en masse to Greece via the Mediterranean.
“In the past, refugees were organized by people we call pirates. The refugees sailed on rafts, fleeing death, war, famine and other calamities. Now it does, organized by existing companies. There are airlines, agencies. travel agencies, transport agencies. That is, you can meet them, identify them, have account numbers, pay salaries, “the Minister explained.
“The European Union, after an in-depth investigation, could impose measures on these companies for their activities,” he added.
Lithuania will present these proposals to the EU institutions in a position paper and they will be discussed in more detail later by the Community members.
Among other things, the Foreign Minister highlighted the need to negotiate at the EU level on the readmission of illegal immigrants to countries of origin, such as Iraq. According to him, the Community is currently considering the possibility of stopping issuing Schengen visas to Iraqis.
“If Iraq listens to the request of the EU and Lithuania to participate in the return program, then it would be possible to seek some concessions in those decisions that are almost made.” These levers exist, the European Union has them ”, explained G. Landsbergis.
This year, a total of 1,666 illegal immigrants were detained on the Lithuanian-Belarusian border. That number is more than twenty times higher than it was in 2020.
As a result, the Lithuanian government has declared an emergency situation.
Minsk claims that migrants are no longer detained on Belarusian territory due to EU sanctions.
