On Wednesday, August 18 European Union's interior ministers met for an emergency meeting, an integrated political crisis response format (IPCR) instituted in response to the situation at the European Union's border with Belarus. IPCR is specifically designed to coordinate decision-making at the EU political level as a matter of urgency.
“In the meeting with my European Union colleagues, I pointed out the need to develop a joint European solution so that Iraqi citizens misled by the Belarusian authorities can return home,” Minister for the Interior Marija Golubeva noted after the meeting.
Ministers took stock of the situation on the Latvian, Lithuanian and Polish border with Belarus during the meeting. The meeting aimed to establish concrete action and support formats to limit illegal border crossings. Ministers agreed to provide technical and financial support to strengthen the European Union's external borders. Discussion highlighted the need to cooperate with the homelands of the illegal border crossers so that people could return. Member States of the European Union condemned Belarus's efforts to instrumentalize people for political purposes.
The Latvian Foreign Service has already started active cooperation with its Iraqi counterparts to address the difficult situation in which Iraqi nationals have encountered due to the actions of the Belarusian authorities.
Linda Curika
Council of Minister for Public Relations
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