"At 14:15, the Iraqi Airways [plane] took off from Minsk National Airport to Erbil," the Belarusian airport said in a statement published on its Telegram channel on Friday. In a previous announcement the airport said the number of passengers stood at 417, including two children under the age of two.
The plane arrived at Erbil International Airport around 5pm, according to a Rudaw reporter on the ground.
After thousands of Iraqi and Kurdish people traveled to the Belarus-Poland borders in recent months, in an attempt to reach Europe and build better lives, their difficult conditions on the borders attracted the attention of international media and leaders. Several migrants have died on the border so far.
Erbil and Baghdad, who have accused Minsk of exploiting the migrants for political gains against the European Union, began offering free flights to those who chose to return voluntarily last month.
So far, over 3,000 people have returned from Minsk through several flights since mid-November.
The exodus of Kurds is part of a migrant crisis that has compelled European nations to fortify their borders. Tensions are high between Belarus and Europe. Poland has refused to take in any migrants, instead calling on them to return home.
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani received a phone call from the British Home Secretary Priti Patel on Thursday. They discussed the migration of people to Europe and crises related to the issue.
Barzani told Patel that the Kurdistan Region will “cooperate with the Iraqi federal government and European countries to encourage the voluntary return of migrants,” according to a statement from Barzani’s office.
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