German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called on Belarus to help migrants instead of trying to send them across the border into the European Union, saying the attempt is a “mixed attack”.
During a visit to Poland, Merkel spoke on the number of migrants – mainly from the Middle East – through Belarus to the eastern EU countries Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.
“The Belarusian appeal is recognizing that insecure people from other areas are being used as threats,” Merkel told reporters with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
“I think it’s totally unacceptable for us to make threats on people’s feet,” the chancellor said, adding that he had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the issue.
He also said the refugees should be supported by aid agencies and “the Polish side should also be open to this”.
The EU suspects Belarus’ powerful man Alexander Lukashenko is planning to smuggle border crossings to restore the EU’s stricter sanctions.
Thousands of migrants have crossed or attempted to cross in recent months – an unprecedented number of people in the region.
Poland responded by sending 2,000 troops to the border, and began building a border wall and setting up an emergency on the border with Belarus.
Opponents of Poland’s right wing government have criticized the government for using the immigration issue to aid in elections and for failing to provide adequate support to migrants.
Merkel has said this will be her last visit to Warsaw as chancellor since she stepped down following the election this month.
He will travel to Paris next week for a final dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron.
dt / bp