The G7 Foreign Ministers - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States - and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, condemned on Thursday 18 November, “the Belarus regime’s orchestration of irregular migration across its borders” and “this provocative use of irregular migration as a hybrid tactic”.
“These callous acts are putting people’s lives at risk”, they said in a joint statement, underlining their solidarity with Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.
In their view, these actions by the regime are “an attempt to deflect attention from its ongoing disregard for international law, fundamental freedoms and human rights, including those of its own people”.
The G7 members therefore called on the regime to “ cease immediately its aggressive and exploitative campaign” and to allow international organisations immediate and unhindered access to the border to deliver the necessary humanitarian assistance.
On 17 November, the European Commission announced that it would hold technical discussions on repatriation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Organization for Migration and Belarus. Minsk reportedly offered to send 5,000 migrants back to their countries, while the EU would take 2,000.
The G7 also welcomed the actions of the EU, which is working closely with countries of origin and transit to stop the “actions” of the Lukashenko regime. On Thursday 18 November, the airline Belavia banned nationals from Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Syria and Yemen from flying from Tashkent (Uzbekistan) to Minsk. A flight also took off from Minsk to Iraq to repatriate migrants.
“We will continue to work together to hold those responsible to account, and to support civil society and human rights in Belarus”, the ministers and the High Representative warned, without giving details. The EU is preparing new sanctions (see EUROPE 12832/1). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)