Merkel Announced Further Sanctions Against Lukashenka Regime

The acting Chancellor of Germany stated that the regime was seeking to weaken not only Poland, but also the entire EU.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and chairman of the Polish Council of Ministers Mateusz Morawiecki have discussed the "very tense situation" with migrants on the border of that country and Belarus. This was stated by Merkel during a joint press conference in Berlin on Thursday, November 25, reports DW.

According to Merkel, she assured the Polish prime minister in "full solidarity" of Germany and reminded of the recent visit of acting German interior minister Horst Seehofer to Warsaw, where he had consultations with the Polish leadership about the situation in Belarus.

"We share a common belief that the situation was caused by" the fact that Minsk "lured migrants to Belarus" as part of a "hybrid attack" and aimed to "destabilize and weaken not only Poland but the entire European Union," said the acting head of the German government.

Germany and Poland do not rule out further sanctions against Minsk.

Berlin believes that if there is no progress in resolving the crisis, it will be necessary to consider further sanctions against the Lukashenka regime. "We, as Europeans, must be united," stressed Merkel. At the same time, the door for dialogue should remain open. "Sanctions are one thing, but on the other hand, one should always be ready for dialogue in order to solve problems through negotiations," she said.

Merkel urged not to forget Russia's role

Angela Merkel added that we should not forget Russia's role in the current situation with migrants. "We know that Lukashenka and the president of Russia Vladimir Putin have "very close relations," she said, adding that she had discussed the situation with the Russian leader and believes that the Kremlin "should also make it clear that people should not be abused" in achieving goals that have nothing to do with them.

Morawiecki reported on the intensification of diplomatic efforts in the Middle East

For his part, Mateusz Morawiecki said that Poland stands guard over the EU's external borders. "In this regard, we are also protecting Germany from a large influx of refugees, because Lukashenka has tried to test this border to destruction," said the prime minister. According to him, Warsaw - with the support of acting German Chancellor and chairman of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen - is making diplomatic efforts in the Middle East to stop migrants from that region flying into Belarus.

Tensions on the EU's external borders

There has been a growing flow of migrants from the Middle East into the European Union since May 2021. The situation is most difficult in Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania, where a lot of migrants are trying to enter through Belarus.

The most difficult situation in November was on the Polish-Belarusian border. Thus, on November 8, several thousand migrants came there, and since then they have made numerous attempts to cross the border. In an interview with BBC, Lukashenka admitted that Belarusians helped migrants to get into EU territory. He demanded from Germany to accept the migrants who were in Belarus.

On November 22, Berlin stated that this was an issue to be solved at the EU level. The EU is preparing a fifth package of sanctions against the Belarusian regime and those responsible for bringing migrants from Middle Eastern countries to Minsk.