EU Strengthens the Protection of the Belarusian-Lithuanian Section of the Border
9- 26.06.2021, 8:27
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A group of 30 employees of the European Union Agency for Security of External Borders will arrive in Lithuania.
To strengthen the protection of the border with Belarus from illegal migrants, a group of 30 employees of the European Union Agency for Security of External Borders (Frontex) will arrive in Lithuania.
This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Lithuania following the talks between Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Arnoldas Abramavičius and representatives of Frontex headed by director Fabrice Leggeri, BelaPAN reports.
In July, Leggeri will arrive in Lithuania to study the situation on the spot. The head of Frontex said that the agency will provide the country with the necessary support both in protecting the border and returning illegal immigrants. “We are determined to support Lithuania - this is a manifestation of European solidarity,” said Leggeri.
Arnoldas Abramavičius thanked the interlocutor for the quick response to the request for help and the decision to send a group of Frontex employees to strengthen the border guard service. “We hope that we will prevent illegal migration through Lithuania by joint efforts,” said the Deputy Minister.
The ministry said that the border guards in the Belarusian direction are assisted by the Public Security Service and the Lithuanian Riflemen's Union. Attention is also paid to the so-called “Devyaniškės loop” - the place where the Lithuanian territory juts into the Belarusian one.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, since the beginning of the year, 508 illegal migrants have tried to enter Lithuania from Belarus - twice as many as in the previous three years (in 2018 - 104, in 2019 - 46, in 2020 - 81). 328 of them are Iraqi citizens or who presented themselves as such, 46 are citizens of Iran, 42 - of Syria, 39 - of Belarus, 17 - of Russia, 11 - of Turkey, 10 - of Sri Lanka, 6 - of Tajikistan, 3 - of Afghanistan, 2 - of Yemen and Egypt, 1 - of Somalia (total 507 - ed.).
