Migrant crisis at Polish border; EU accuses Belarus of 'gangster-like' behavior

Hundreds of illegal immigrants are trapped in the bitter cold on the Belarusian border with Poland, and Poland is preventing them from entering European Union territory by deploying more border guards and erecting barbed wire along the border strip.

The European Commission said on Tuesday it would impose further sanctions on Belarus, accusing the government of Alexander Lukashenko of "gangster-like behavior" for using migrants as a political weapon and putting their lives at risk.

The migrant crisis on the Belarusian-Polish border has been ongoing for months, and at least seven people have died so far. On Monday, a group of migrants tried to cut through barbed wire using shovels and sticks to cross the border.

Poland and other EU members accuse the government of Alexander Lukashenko of encouraging migrants from the Middle East, Afghanistan and African countries to enter the EU through its territory in retaliation for the EU's sanctions against Belarus.

"The Belarusian regime is attacking the borders of Poland and the European Union in an unprecedented manner. Currently, about a thousand migrants, most of them young men, have gathered at the border. As a member of the European Union, we must thwart these aggressive actions," Polish President Andrzej Duda said at a press conference in Warsaw.

The Belarusian government denies causing the crisis and holds the United States and the European Union responsible for the plight of migrants stranded at the country's borders.

The Belarusian state news agency reported on Tuesday that Alexander Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin had spoken by phone about the issue and expressed concern about the build-up of Polish security forces on the border with Belarus.

"Waging war with these unfortunate people on the Polish-Belarusian border and deploying tanks in the region is either a military exercise or an attempt at blackmail. We will calmly stand against these actions," Alexander Lukashenko said in a televised speech.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has suggested that the European Union provide financial assistance to the Belarusian government, similar to the agreement reached with the Turkish government a few years ago to prevent the movement of migrants.

In contrast, the European Union says the Belarusian government is illegally allowing migrants to enter the European Union through its territory.

"This is part of the inhumane behavior and gangster methods of the Lukashenko regime, which is bringing these people to Belarus by lying and using them as a tool, with the false promise of easy passage to the territory of the European Union," the union's spokesperson said on Tuesday.

The European Commission says around 2,000 people are gathered at the borders of Belarus and Poland, trying to enter the European Union. The commission added that it is ready to help Poland as soon as possible if it requests it.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has also called for an end to the abuse of vulnerable people as political hostages.

A Polish official said that Belarusian security forces are firing into the air and providing them with the necessary equipment to destroy the border fence, with the aim of creating panic and encouraging refugees to move towards the border.

The Polish Border Guard Service also said on Monday it had recorded 309 cases of illegal border crossings and arrested 17 people, most of them Iraqis.

The Lithuanian-Belarusian border could become the next flashpoint in the crisis. In recent days, there have been reports of hundreds of migrants heading towards the country's borders, and the Lithuanian Border Guard has deployed additional forces to border crossings.

The migration crisis at Belarus' borders with European Union member states began following European sanctions against the government of Alexander Lukashenko for its crackdown on protesters against the results of last year's presidential election.

Human rights groups have accused the Polish government of violating international agreements on the processing of asylum applications by forcing migrants to return to Belarus, but the Polish government claims that these actions are legal.

A recent poll published in a Polish newspaper shows that about 55 percent of the country's population believe that migrants who cross the border illegally should be forced to return.

Source: Radio Farda