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Brussels takes the position that the authoritarian Belarusian President Aliaksandr Lukashenko is deliberately encouraging the flow of illegal immigrants to Lithuania in retaliation for sanctions against his regime.
The European External Action Service (EEAS) summoned the Belarusian administrator on Wednesday to voice its accusations, Nabila Masrali, a spokesperson for the service, told reporters.
“A senior EEAS official has expressed the deep fears of the EU and its clear position that turning migrants and refugees into an instrument is unacceptable,” he stressed.
“This practice must end and Belarus must comply with its international obligations to combat irregular migration, human trafficking and smuggling of migrants,” Massrali added.
This week, Lithuanian border guards began to return newcomers to Belarus who were trying to cross the border. At that time, Brussels asked Iraq, where many of these people come from, to suspend flights to Minsk.
EU foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell warned last month that EU members were working on tougher sanctions to complement those already in place against Lukashenko and his allies.
These measures could be adopted in the Council of the EU on September 21.
The EU already imposes sanctions on 166 people, including Mr. Lukashenko and his two sons, as well as 15 companies and agencies affiliated with the Belarusian government.
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