Lithuania has so far received assistance from 12 countries to care for migrants and asylum seekers from the Middle East and Africa who arrived via Belarus, the European Commission, which is coordinating and financing part of the aid delivery, announced in a statement on Friday 23 July.
Lithuania had requested assistance through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.
Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and Norway provided generators, folding beds, heated tents, blankets, heaters and lighting.
In 2020, 74 people entered Lithuania from Belarus. In 2021, almost 2,100 people have already arrived in Lithuania, mainly in June and July, the Commission points out. Most of the people crossing the border from Belarus are from Iraq, the Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Guinea and Iran. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)