Hundreds of migrants stranded on the border between Belarus and Poland in subzero temperatures are hoping to continue their journey to Germany.
On Monday, a 25-year-old Iraqi named Gashtjar told dpa at a logistics center in Brusgi that “there are still 900 to 1,000 of us, including many children.”
Following Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s visit to Poland on Sunday, the trained nurse who speaks German expressed hope that the new German government would resolve the migration crisis.
However, there was no indication that any of the migrants or refugees were being allowed to enter Poland, where the government has increased border security.
Migrants from war-torn regions have been lining up at the borders between Belarus and several EU countries, hoping to gain entry into the bloc.
Many believe that Minsk deliberately orchestrated the crisis in order to destabilize the region in retaliation for sanctions related to a crackdown following a fraudulent election.
Meanwhile, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko complained to Turkish state television station TRT that the EU had been ignoring the crisis for weeks.
According to him, over 3,000 people had left Belarus to return to Iraq or Syria.
According to Lukashenko, no one is being coerced. “We do everything according to their wishes.” They are starving people who are fleeing war. They have no place in their homeland.”
Belarus has already faced a slew of sanctions imposed by the EU.