Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that Afghan migrants cross over to the European Union not only through Belarus but also through other countries, including Ukraine, the Russian state-owned news agency reported.
"Now the influx (of migrants) from Afghanistan... has just begun. These Afghans have passed through the Central Asian republics, through Russia, through Belarus and beyond. But this is not the only route. They also go through Ukraine, but they (the West) think of Ukraine as 'one of their own' and are keeping quiet for now," Sputnik reported as quoted by Lukashenko.
Citing the Belarusian state news agency, it further reported that the Belarusian President noted that it was the West that has destabilised the regions where migrants originate in the first place, destroying the existing statehood and "inviting" their citizens to Europe.
As opposed to Ukraine, Belarus "can be trashed" as it is not a Western ally, so foreign media and politicians make up accusations that Minsk is waging a hybrid war using migrants, and that this war is instigated by Russia's Vladimir Putin, Lukashenko said.
However, it shouldn't be forgotten that it was the West that "bombed Afghanistan" and Putin and Lukashenko himself have nothing to do with the current crisis, according to the Belarusian leader.
Belarus is just a convenient stop-over on the way to the EU, and the migrants are using it after the West destroyed their homes and lured them by promises of a better life, Lukashenko added. At the same time, they arrive in the country by absolutely legal means, as Minsk had to step up its cooperation with other countries and airlines, many of which are from the Middle East, to service its airports after Europe banned its own planes from flying to Belarus.
"However, not a single Belavia plane brought migrants here. They fly on their own planes, on Boeings," Sputnik further reported quoting him.
In recent months, Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania have reported an increase in the number of people trying to illegally cross the border from Belarus, accusing Minsk of using migrants as a "hybrid weapon" and orchestrating a crisis to get back at Brussels for sanctions against Lukashenko's government.
The Belarusian leader has rejected the accusations, saying his cash-strapped country can no longer afford tight border controls.
As of Tuesday, over 2,000 refugees and migrants, mostly Kurds, have set up camp at the Polish border. The migrants have tried to pass through the border barriers as the Polish authorities refuse to let them in. Warsaw, Prague and Vilnius have called upon the EU to impose new sanctions on Minsk over the recent developments, according to Sputnik.
( With inputs from ANI )
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