Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has criticized Angela Merkel, Germany’s late chancellor, for talking to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko over the growing crisis of migrants on the European Union’s border, which many say was orchestrated by Minsk, reports DPA.
The EU has accused Lukashenko of a wave of migrants from its foreign borders in recent weeks, with Poland and Lithuania being the hardest hit. Lukashenko has repeatedly stated that he will no longer stop people crossing Belarusian territory in an attempt to reach the bloc, in response to EU sanctions against the Minsk regime after the contested 2020 presidential election.
Numerous groups of migrants have settled along the Polish-Belarusian border in recent months, some trying to enter the country, prompting Warsaw to strengthen border security. Meanwhile, there are growing concerns about the safety of migrants in the context of increasing weather. Merkel has spoken with Lukashenko twice, trying to resolve the crisis.
In an interview with the DPA, Morawiecki said he welcomed the European Union’s involvement in trying to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis, but criticized Angela Merkel. “When Chancellor Merkel called Lukashenko, she helped legitimize his regime, as the fight for a free Belarus has been going on for 15 months,” he said, referring to telephone talks between leaders in Berlin and Minsk. trying to resolve the crisis.
“Lukashenko also abused talks with Angela Merkel. He claimed that Merkel agreed to transport 2,000 migrants through a corridor to Germany and other EU countries. That is not true,” Morawiecki said.
Merkel has been criticized in Germany and other countries for her two telephone conversations with Lukashenko. However, his decision was driven by the growing despair of thousands of people at the border, said German government spokesman Steffen Seibert, who added that the talks had taken place in coordination with the European Commission. Lukashenko also claimed that Merkel had agreed to receive refugees, a statement Seibert said was false. (Source: Agerpres)
