On the border with Belarus: Iraq is planning a special flight for refugees

The Iraqi government has announced the first return flight of migrants from Belarus. The EU wants to adopt new sanctions against the government in Minsk today. Meanwhile, President Lukashenko is trying to appease the situation.

The Iraqi government has announced the first flight to return migrants to the Belarusian-Polish border. Iraqi citizens could return to their homes on Thursday on a “voluntary” basis, Foreign Office spokesman Ahmed al-Sahaf said on Iraqi television. The Iraqi authorities have “registered 571 Iraqis” in the border area who have agreed to return to their homeland.

The private Syrian airline Cham Wings had previously suspended its flights to Belarus due to the refugee crisis. The Turkish government had banned people from Syria, Iraq and Yemen from traveling to Belarus. Air traffic between Baghdad and Minsk was suspended in August.

Lukashenko tries to appease

According to the ruler Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus is also trying to return migrants on the Belarusian-Polish border to their home countries. “Active work is being done to convince people to please return home. But nobody wants to return,” said Lukashenko, according to the state news agency Belta.

Belarus also wants “no border conflict” with Poland. This is “absolutely harmful to us,” Belta quoted the Belarusian ruler as saying. The refugee crisis must not develop into a “conflict”. Thousands of people, especially from the Middle East, are currently stuck in the border area in freezing temperatures.

New sanctions against Belarus

Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas announced further EU sanctions against Belarus. “We are still a long way from the end of the spiral of sanctions,” said Maas before the EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels. Unfortunately, the situation on the Belarusian-Polish border has not improved, but has deteriorated.

Poland and other EU countries accuse Lukashenko of targeting refugees at the borders of Latvia, Lithuania and Poland in retaliation for previous sanctions for suppressing the protest movement against him. Moscow supported its ally Minsk in this.

The EU foreign ministers are discussing new sanctions, for example against Belarusian officials who are said to be involved in the smuggled people criticized. Maas also did not rule out economic sanctions against the Eastern European country. He also warned airlines flying migrants to Belarus. He can no longer rule out the withdrawal of landing and overflight rights of the EU states if airlines take part in the smuggling organized by the Belarusian leadership. The fact that Turkish Airlines changed its practice at the request of the EU shows that things can be different.

The situation at the border continues to deteriorate

The Belarusian state news agency Belta again published photos of people warming themselves in makeshift camps by campfires in the forest. So far, at least eight people have died in the Belarusian border area. Large groups tried several times to break through the fence in the direction of Poland.

Poland’s border guards recently expressed fears that Belarusian security forces were preparing the migrants to break through the barrier. The rumor had apparently spread in the camp that the border would be opened at the beginning of the week and people would be allowed to continue to Germany. Both Poland and the federal government officially denied this.