Retaliation is coming.
On Monday, November 15, the Council of Foreign Ministers of the EU will "
give the green light to a widening of the legal framework
" of sanctions against Belarus, announced in
the Sunday Journal
Josep Borrell, head of European diplomacy.
They could therefore apply "
to all those who participate in the smuggling of migrants to this country, for example the airlines or travel agencies involved, by prohibiting their leaders from traveling and freezing their assets in Europe
", he said. detailed the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
Read alsoBelorussia: how Lukashenko uses migrants as a means of pressure against Europe
To this will be added an immediate sanction, "
from Monday
", for "
about thirty officials of the Lukashenko administration who are involved in this crisis
".
“
Lukashenko was wrong.
He believed that by retaliating in this way, he was going to twist our arms and have the sanctions overturned.
It is quite the opposite which occurs
”, again hammered Josep Borrell near our colleagues of the
JDD
.
Dozens of migrants arrested
In the meantime, dozens of migrants have been arrested as soon as they crossed into Poland from Belarus, Warsaw announced on Sunday, warning of larger flows. Police said on Twitter that 50 migrants crossed the heavily guarded EU-NATO border near the village of Starzyna on Saturday. They were all subsequently arrested, border guards said, adding that they are noticing "
a bigger attempt to cross the border today
".
Thousands of migrants from the Middle East camp at the EU-Belarus border, causing an impasse in relations between the EU and the US on one side and Belarus backed by its ally Russia on the other .
Westerners accuse Alexander Lukashenko's regime of deliberately orchestrating the crisis by encouraging migrants to come to its country and then bringing them to the border.
Read alsoMigrants in Belarus: "Lukashenko's objective is to destabilize the EU"
Belarus rejects the accusations and blames the West, in turn.
"
If anyone thinks that Lukashenko or the Belarusians will back down, then that won't happen
," Lukashenko said, speaking of himself in the third person, in an interview published on Saturday.
According to humanitarian organizations, at least 10 migrants have died so far.
NGOs cite an ongoing humanitarian crisis as temperatures drop below zero, and urge de-escalation to help migrants.
In the largest camp, near the Belarusian village of Bruzgi, the authorities estimate the migrants or refugees at around 2,000 people, including pregnant women and children.
The Belarusian authorities have provided them with aid, including tents and heaters, a measure that augurs a semi-permanent presence at the border.
"
Provocation
" at the border?
Poland refuses to let migrants enter its soil and accuses Belarus of preventing them from returning to where they came from. Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski on Saturday reported a rumor circulating among migrants that on Monday Poland would allow them to pass and that coaches would come from Germany to pick them up. "
A provocation is in preparation,
" said Kaminski.
The government texted all foreign cellphones along the border, denouncing "
total lie and nonsense!"
Poland will continue to protect its border
”.
"
Those who spread such rumors seek to encourage migrants to storm the border, which can lead to dangerous developments
," warns the same text.
Read alsoPutin and Lukashenko are moving forward on the road to union, not without ulterior motives
For her part, British Foreign Minister Liz Truss on Sunday urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to intervene in the "
shameful and fabricated migrant crisis
" underway at the Polish-Belarusian border, where the United Kingdom has sent a handful military personnel to provide “
technical support
”.
Following pressure from European diplomats, Turkey has now banned Iraqis, Syrians and Yemenis from traveling to Belarus, and private Syrian airline Cham Wings Airlines has also halted flights to Minsk.