Poland and Baltic States Outline Conditions for Closing Borders with Belarus
Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia will close their borders with Belarus in the event of a "critical incident," stated Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski after a meeting with his Baltic counterparts. This has been reported by Polsat News.
"In the event of a critical incident, regardless of which border it occurs at, we will implement immediate responsive measures. All currently open border crossings, both for passengers and freight, will be closed," emphasised the head of the Polish Ministry of Interior Affairs.
Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Poland are ready to cooperate. The countries share mutual concerns about border situations, especially after hundreds of Wagner Group mercenaries arrived in Belarus last month at the invitation of the self-proclaimed President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko. There has also been a spike in attempts by illegal migrants to cross the border with the assistance of Belarusian authorities.
The Polish Interior Minister noted that the deaths of Wagner Group leaders Yevgeny Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin "do not fundamentally change the situation in Belarus."
The Minister stressed that the "Wagner Group must leave the region where we live" because "it's a requirement for international security."
"We have demanded that the Minsk authorities immediately remove the Wagner Group from Belarusian territory and that illegal migrants leave the border regions," declared the Polish Minister of Defence Mariusz Błaszczak.
Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia issued a statement calling for the removal of the Wagner Group from Belarusian territory and for the return of illegal migrants to their countries of origin.
Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski announced the formation of a working group that will constantly monitor the situation in border regions.
"Complete isolation of Lukashenko's regime will have certain consequences for the Belarusian people. This is a nation in deep distress. After the falsified elections of 2020, this nation showed its true face, a face of freedom. There have been brutal repressions," Kaminski reminded.
He added that Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are in constant contact with the winner of the elections - Svetlana Tikhanovskaya.