DISINFO: The West is responsible for the migration crisis on EU-Belarus borders
SUMMARY
The problem with irregular migration flows on the EU-Belarus border lies in western capitals, mainly in Washington and Brussels. The collective West had initiated interventions in Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Afghanistan. The EU has repeatedly refused Belarus to have joint consultations on irregular migration. The West continues interfering in Belarus's domestic affairs and does not recognise its state authorities.
RESPONSE
This publication accuses the West of the aggressive behaviour towards Belarus and promotes an skewed view about the migration crisis on the border of Belarus with Lithuania, Latvia and Poland.
The claims the West interferes in Belarus's domestic affairs are unfounded. The EU did not recognise the falsified results of the Belarusian Presidential election on 9 August 2020 and, respectively, the new mandate claimed by Alyaksandr Lukashenka. Since October 2020, the EU has progressively imposed restrictive measures against Belarus.
There is plenty of evidence that the Belarusian authorities have instigated the ongoing migration crisis in Lithuania, Poland and Latvia. Lukashenka's regime is using migrants from the Middle East as "political and hybrid" tools against Lithuania and the entire EU. Commissioner Ylva Johansson said, inter alia: "The authoritarian regime in Belarus is exploiting human beings for political reasons: this is completely unacceptable."
In 2021, Lithuania, Poland and Latvia faced an influx of irregular migrants from Belarus. Earlier, Belarus had ended cooperation with the EU to stem illegal migration. This was Lukashenka's answer to the European Union sanctions on the political regime of Belarus (read more about sanctions here).
Several investigative journalists (here) and (here) have proven that some migrants arrive in Belarus by commercial flights from Baghdad to Minsk. Information gathered also suggests that migrants are regularly transported by bus to the Belarusian-Lithuanian border. More information about Lukashenka's role in the organisation of the current migration crisis can be found here and here.
See other examples of disinformation about the so-called collective West: The West needs to tear away from Russia its strategic partner and ally Belarus; The West will organize events to discredit elections in Russia; The West is turning the UN into a tool to defame Syria.