Foreign Ministry Spokesman A.Glaz answers question about the reasons for the strengthening of border controls in Germany

In an attempt to curb illegal migration, the German authorities have introduced controls at its external borders, in fact ignoring the Schengen agreements. This has caused mixed reactions from neighbouring countries. How does the Belarusian Foreign Ministry see and assess this situation and its causes?
  
A.Glaz: In our opinion, these measures on the part of Berlin were a response to the inefficiency of Poland and the Baltic States at the external borders of the European Union in terms of ensuring migration security of the EU and the main country of destination for migrants - Germany. At the same time, everyone knows that efficiency in this matter cannot be achieved by building fences or other forceful methods. All relevant international organisations claim that this problem must be solved only through comprehensive efforts and only through the cooperation of all actors involved.

The recent telephone conversation between Federal Chancellor O.Scholz and Prime Minister of Poland D.Tusk on the subject of migration policy, which was reported by the press service of the German Government, is precisely evidence of Warsaw's irritation at Berlin's actions.

 We fully share the approaches of the leaders of Germany and Poland, as stated in the press, regarding the need for ‘close cooperation between European partners’ in combating illegal migration.

But another attempt of Berlin and Warsaw to accuse Belarus of some kind of instrumentalisation of migration does not stand up to any criticism. Less than half a per cent of all migrants who end up in EU territory get there through our territory. At the same time, we have repeatedly proposed to the neighbouring EU member states to return to normal professional cooperation to counter this global challenge. We did and still do, if they really care about this problem.

It remains a mystery to us why the same disadvantaged people who arrive in the EU in hundreds of thousands via the Balkan, Mediterranean and other routes are migrants who need to be rescued and accepted, while several thousand migrants entering the EU via Belarus are ‘instrumentalised’ migrants who can be killed and maimed at the border.

 It is difficult to find a normal explanation of this fact of outrageous cynicism and double standards.

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