Lithuanian Foreign Minister Urges Migrants Against Entering EU Illegally

Muhammad Irfan Published July 19, 2021 | 10:08 PM

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis on Monday called on migrants not to try entering the European Union illegally via his country, warning that they will likely end up placed in tent camps and then deported

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th July, 2021) Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis on Monday called on migrants not to try entering the European Union illegally via his country, warning that they will likely end up placed in tent camps and then deported.

On July 2, Lithuania declared an emergency over the influx of illegal migrants from Belarus, many of them Iraqis, Iranians, and Syrians. On the same day, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that his country will not contain the flow of illegal migrants to the EU any longer, as it does not have enough capacity due to the EU sanctions imposed on Minsk.

"You can only get inside the European Union using a legitimate path. Don't trust those impostors, don't try to travel to Europe illegally - because you will have to go back home in the end," the minister said on Facebook, pointing to the smugglers who promise irregular migrants easy inroads to Europe through Lithuania.

The only thing that these smugglers, allegedly closely linked to Belarus and President Alexander Lukashenko, can do is jeopardize the migrants' chances of getting an asylum or refugee status, the minister said, warning that any attempt of an illegal crossing will be thwarted by the Lithuanian border police.

"You will have to live in the tent camp until we find a way to send you home. And you will go home. But you will go home without the money you have paid for the trip. You will not get any further into Europe," Landsbergis wrote.

According to the Lithuanian border guard service, 2,096 illegal immigrants have tried to enter Lithuania from Belarus this year so far, which is 26 times more than in the whole of 2020.

On Monday, Lukashenko called on the Lithuanian authorities to look for a solution at home, where there are criminals involved in illegal migration services, rather than making accusations against Minsk.