On Friday, Lithuania declared a state of emergency over an influx of migrants from Belarus as tensions between the European Union (EU) and Belarus continue to soar. The State Border Guard Service proposed the decision after 150 illegal migrants from Belarus were detained in a day.
Lithuanian Interior Minister Agle Bilotaite deemed the proposal’s implementation necessary “not because of an increased threat to the country of 2.8 million people but to put a more robust system into place to handle migrants coming in.” The Minister suggested the need to have a robust legal system and instrument to deal with the migrant challenges.
As per news reports, the cabinet of the Prime Minister (PM) of Lithuania, Ingrida Simonyte, declared an emergency after consulting the officials stationed at the border with Belarus. ABC News reported that the Lithuanian officials released footage of migrants trying to illegally enter Lithuania from Belarus, either by jumping over the fence or crawling. Moreover, the Baltic News Services report mentioned that Lithuania has already extended asylum to migrants from Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Cameroon.
On illegal migration, Lithuania’s Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mantas Adomenas, said: “The main problem was identifying migrants who arrive with no documents.” She also reflected on the complexities of the identification of migrants and sending them back to their country of origin.
Furthermore, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis accused Belarus of trying to destabilise the country, saying: “Lukashenko seeks to weaponise migration to weaken our resolve for sanctions.”
While paying a visit to Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen vowed to help the country with migrants. In a joint conference with PM Simonyte and President Gitanas Nausėda, she said: “Your worries and your problems here in Lithuania are European worries and problems. We stand by your side in this difficult time.”
Last week, Belarus withdrew from the EU’s Eastern Partnership programme as a retaliatory measure against EU sanctions, ending its obligation to fight illegal migration and organised crime. Consequently, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko threatened to allow illegal migrants to enter the EU via Lithuania, with whom his country shares a 680-kilometre long porous border. The country also suspended diplomatic communication by recalling its ambassador to the Union and asking the EU’s ambassador to leave Minsk besides threatening to blacklist Union officials over the sanctions.
Also Read: Belarus Recalls Envoy to Brussels Over Sanctions, Threatens to Blacklist EU Personnel
The Union approved the first package of sanctions against Lukashenko in October 2020 for allegedly rigging the presidential elections held in August and a widespread crackdown on dissent and press freedom. The subsequent sanctions were imposed on the regime after the authoritarian leader ordered the diversion of a commercial plane to arrest dissident journalist Romana Pratasevich in May. The action was condemned internationally and followed by sanctions from the EU, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
To control the surge in illegal migration, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, also known as Frontex, have vowed to deploy border guards to Lithuania and Latvia, which both share a border with Belarus.