Poland Modernizes Border Wall with Belarus to Combat Illegal Immigration

The Polish government has decided to swiftly modernize its barriers along the border with Belarus to more effectively counter the artificially created crisis of migration pressure. Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, made this announcement during a joint press conference with Finnish Prime Minister, Petteri Orpo, as reported by Gazeta Wyborcza.

"We will allocate the necessary funds for this. We want to coordinate border work with Finland because if the borders really need to be secure, then we must bear joint responsibility for this: Finland, Poland, and also the Baltic countries. There can be no weak links here," emphasized Tusk.

According to the Polish Prime Minister, he, together with the Minister of Internal Affairs of Poland, Marcin Kervinski, made a decision for urgent modernization of barriers along the border with Belarus.

Donald Tusk also stated that Poland and Finland see the need for changes in European Union legislation regarding asylum, which he called "inadequate" in the face of current migration challenges and threats associated with Russia's and Belarus's policies that push illegal migration into the EU.

"Finland and Poland are ready to cooperate towards a strict pan-European policy on illegal migration," said Tusk.

Tusk stated that Poland and Finland want to cooperate with other countries in the region to strengthen their borders and defence, as well as civil protection, in response to Russia's aggressive policies.

Prime Minister of Finland, Petteri Orpo, described the current security situation as "critical" and emphasized that both countries will continue to support Ukraine and develop their own cooperation in defence and arms.

Recall that in 2022, Poland installed barriers 5.5 meters high and 186 kilometres long along the border with Belarus, and also implemented a modern electronic monitoring system. This was a response to the artificially created migration pressure by Belarus and Russia at the Belarusian border with Poland and the Baltic countries.

This involves the Belarusian authorities facilitating the transportation of people from Arab and African countries into Belarus and ensuring their delivery to the border with Poland and the Baltic countries, where these people attempt to cross it, sometimes leading to clashes with border guards.