Suspect charged after Vancouver car ramming leaves 11 dead    Suspect in killing of general claims he was paid by Ukraine    North Korea confirms troop deployment to Russia for first time    Rock & Roll Hall of Fame picks Outkast but not Oasis    400-800 year old giant coral colony discovered within AMAALA waters in the Red Sea    Makkah police arrest Yemeni and Egyptian suspects of fake Hajj campaign    Kafalah grants 1,900 loan guarantees worth over SR4.8 billion to SMEs during 1Q 2025    Council of Senior Scholars reaffirms performing Hajj without a permit is a sinful act    HR Ministry launches 'Ajeer Al-Hajj' service for seasonal work during Hajj 2025    stc reports strong first-quarter 2025 results with 11% rise in net profit    King and Crown Prince offer condolence to Iranian president over the deadly port explosion    Saudi Awwal Bank records SR2.1 billion net profit after zakat and income tax for 1Q25    Virgin Atlantic celebrates one month of nonstop service between London and Riyadh    Al Ahli cruise past Buriram into AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Duran leads Al Nassr past Yokohama Marinos into AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Saudi orchestra to perform at Sydney Opera House in May    Al Hilal thrash Gwangju to reach AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Saudi Theater Commission launches its Work and Learn Project in UK    The season has begun — and one comment shook us all    Average life expectancy in Saudi Arabia rises to78.8 years    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Veteran Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar dies at 87    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



EU urged to stand firm against Belarus
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 10 - 11 - 2021

The European Union must be "firm and united" against the "desperate and illegitimate" administration of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and his continued attempts to destabilise the bloc, Ylva Johansson, the European Commissioner for home affairs, told Euronews.
Her comments follow a surge of attempted illegal crossings on Monday at the Poland-Belarus border, with hundreds of migrants arriving overnight. The incident has led to international condemnation from the EU, US and NATO and renewed threats of sanctions.
Brussels believes the Belarusian regime is encouraging migrants from countries such as Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Cameroon to board flights to Minsk, where they are given visas and accommodation and then told to head towards the Polish border.
"This is a situation where the European Union has to act firm and united towards Lukashenko," Johansson told Euronews. "This is not primarily a migration crisis. This is an aggression from a desperate, illegitimate regime. And our response has to be according to that."
More than 30,000 migrants have tried to cross the Poland-Belarus border this year. More than 15,000 crossings were registered in October alone.
Lithuania and Latvia, which also have borders with Belarus, have been affected too.
The crisis has been described as Lukashenko's revenge against the multiple rafts of EU sanctions imposed on Belarus, which comprise 166 individuals and 15 companies. They were initiated following the crackdown on dissent in the country, following protests in the aftermath of Belarus' disputed presidential election.
"Belarus is not a country under any migratory pressure at all. It's a country people flee from, not to," Johansson said.
"This situation has been created by Lukashenko. People are paying a lot of money to be escorted by people in military clothes to the EU's external borders. And when they come there, these Belarusian people and border guards, they change their attitude and [start] being aggressive and trapping people there. This is a totally unacceptable way of treating people."
For Johansson, the most urgent priority is to stop the arrivals at Minsk airport. The European Commission has already floated the possibility of sanctioning non-EU airlines that are believed to be involved in human trafficking.
Although Johansson refused to name specific carriers, state-owned Belavia is seen as the main enabler.
"We have to do our utmost to stop more people from being lured into this situation," Johansson said.
"They [migrants] are spending a lot of money and they are being told that this is a safe and easy way to get to the European Union. This is not true. And then they find themselves trapped in a potentially very dangerous and freezing situation."
Ten migrants have died while being left stranded at the Belarus-Poland border, an area that reaches sub-zero temperatures. The deteriorating situation has raised concerns over human rights abuses and humanitarian aid. Warsaw allows only very limited access to the zone.
Asked about claims that Polish authorities are pushing back migrants, a practice illegal under international law, Johansson was noncommittal and simply said EU countries should "uphold our values" and legal rules.
The Commissioner was also evasive when asked about the possibility of funding barbed wires and fences under the EU budget. Brussels has maintained a longstanding refusal to bankroll this kind of apparatus, but the border crisis, which has been going on since the early summer, has renewed calls for EU-funded border barriers.
"We don't understand why the EU cannot finance a fence at the Belarus border. There is a hybrid war going on, we should not be naïve," said Manfred Weber, the leader of the centre-right European People's Party, last month.
Johansson insisted that Poland allow the entrance of agents from EU agencies, including the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), which is headquartered in the Polish capital. The government continues to refuse their access.
"It would be good to actually show that by having also the European presence," Johansson said.
"I think it's a problem with the lack of transparency at the border, and I think that the trust would be bigger and increase if we also had the presence of Frontex and Europol at the border." — Euronews


Clic here to read the story from its source.