Chairperson of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen called on the Member States of the European Union to approve expansion of sanctions against the Belarusian authorities. This opinion was expressed by the head of the European Commission due to the aggravated migration crisis on the borders of the EU countries with Belarus, noting that the official Minsk is responsible for "this hybrid attack" .
Brussels will explore the possibility of applying penalties to "airlines from third countries, involved in human trafficking," von der Leyen added. "Belarus should stop playing with human lives," stressed the president of the European Commission.
Vice-President of the European Commission Margaritis Schinas will visit the countries of origin of migrants in the next few days to make sure that their citizens "are not trapped by the Belarusian authorities. In addition, Brussels together with the UN will study the issue of the safe return of migrants to their home countries with the support of national authorities.
Recall, the Polish authorities ordered to temporarily close the border crossing point "Kuznitsa" on the border with Belarus. The measure came into force at 7 am on November 9. Polish Border Guard Service recommended people wishing to enter the Polish territory to use the checkpoints in Terespol and Babrovniki.
Meanwhile, Lithuanian authorities sent troops to the Belarusian border. Official Vilnius will consider the possibility of an emergency situation in the border region, said Minister of the Interior of Lithuania Agne Bilotaite.
A few hours earlier, a large group of migrants had tried to break into the territory of the European Union through the barriers at the Polish-Belarusian border.
The day before it became known that Belarus significantly increased the number of flights from the Middle East to Minsk. According to estimates of the special services of the Federal Republic of Germany, about 800-1000 migrants arrive in Belarus every day.
