European Commissioner: Latvia should accept refugees from Belarus

Latvia should accept refugees from the countries outside the European Union.

It has been stated in an interview to Diena newspaper (Latvia) by the European Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström.

“If refugees would arrive to our border and would seek asylum, international conventions oblige you to accept them,” said the European Commissioner. At the same time, Cecilia Malmström admitted that there is no mechanism in the EU to make the EU country accept refugees.

“However, I think that you should do that. It would be a demonstration of solidarity. We all support bombing of Libya, and refugees arrive from this country. There are not many of them so far, most of them are in Italy and Malta. If all countries would take responsibility, it would be a wonderful example of solidarity. But I cannot make you do that. There would be no dictate, but there would be pressure. I will repeat that you should do that, and many countries are already doing that,” she said.

Answering the question how Latvia could accept refugees having such conditions of life, Cecilia Malmström stated that refugees would feel better there than in a refugee camp in Tunisia anyway.

“We are forming a common European network of asylums, and in its framework all countries would have to maintain more or less equal systems of placing refugees. And it is not a dictate of the European Commission. All countries including your Prime Minister have agreed that such system should be created, and not later than next year,” Ms Malmström said.

The European Commissioner has also added that it is not clear how the situation in Belarus would develop. “The situation is getting worse and worse. If Lukashenka shoots at protesters, people will flee. And not in Italy,” she said.