Iraq to bring back stranded migrants on Belarus border next Thursday

On Tuesday, Iraq's Minister of Communications, Arkan Al-Shaibani, revealed the date of the first flight to evacuate Iraqis stranded on the Belarus-Poland border.

Al-Shaibani said during the weekly press conference, "Next Thursday will witness the launch of the first flight to bring Iraqis back from Belarus."

In another context, he indicated that "Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi directed the ministers to make more efforts."

Iraq and the Kurdistan Region suffer from continuous migration flows. Illegal Kurdish migrants often use Turkey as a transit point to reach prosperous European Union states through Greece. Many rely on smugglers and risk their lives through perilous journeys in overcrowded boats.

Recently, migration flows have turned to Belarus to get to European countries.

Thousands of illegal migrants, including over 1000 Kurdish migrants, have recently crossed the borders of Belarus towards Poland attempting to cross to European countries, but have been prevented by the Polish border guards. read more

The migrants currently stuck in the area and are in a very difficult situation are calling for help. A large part of them are from the Kurdistan Region, including women and children.

Iraq's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Friday the temporary withdrawal of the work permit of the Belarusian honorary consul in Baghdad.

Both Baghdad and Erbil stopped direct flights between Iraq and Belarus to stop the migration flow.

Belarusian airline Belavia said on Friday it would not allow citizens of Iraq, Syria, and Yemen to board flights from Turkey at the request of Turkish authorities.

The Polish President's office, also announced, on Thursday, that Turkish Airlines will not transport citizens (passengers) from Iraq, Syria, and Yemen on flights to Belarusian Minsk due to the refugee crisis.

The Polish authorities had sent thousands of security services and the army to protect the site, a move which Belarus sees as a military activity that Minsk has not received notifications about.

The European Council has partially suspended its visa-facilitation agreement with Belarus over the "hybrid attack" Minsk has launched against the European Union by fostering a migrant crisis along the Poland-Belarus border.

The suspension of parts of the agreement will not affect ordinary citizens, the European Council said in announcing the move on November 9.

However, Belarusian officials will no longer be able to waive requirements for documents or be privy to reduced visa application fees.

"We strongly condemn and reject the continued instrumentalization of migration by the Belarus regime," said Slovenian Interior Minister Ales Hojs, who chairs the Home Affairs Council.

"It is unacceptable for Belarus to play with people's lives for political purposes. Today's decision shows once again our joint commitment to continue countering this ongoing hybrid attack."

The decision came after Poland on November 9 closed a crossing along its border with Belarus after migrants on the Belarusian side attempted to break through a fence to enter the EU country.

The massing of people at the border escalates a crisis that has been going on for months, with the EU accusing Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka of flying migrants from the Middle East and Africa to Minsk and then sending them to its borders with EU members Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland.

Lukashenka denies the accusation.



PUKmedia