Iraq, Kurdistan Region will help migrants who want to return: representative

Khazan Jangiz

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) representative in Poland said on Monday that their office in Poland will help any migrant stuck on the Polish-Belarus border to return home if they want to, calling on the Polish authorities to treat migrants according to international law.

“We are deeply saddened by the situation that has been created, and the conditions that our citizens are in. We have constantly asked the Polish side to act according to international and European law, especially for people who need help, and to provide access to hospitals for those who require treatment,” Ziyad Rauf, KRG representative in Poland told Rudaw.

“We have always said - and the Iraqi embassy as well - that with the help of the federal government we will do everything to support those who want to return safely to the country,” added Rauf. Regarding what will happen to those along the border on Monday evening, Rauf told Rudaw that “their fates are not yet known,” but that Warsaw’s current stance is firm: to not allow migrants to enter the country.

Polish government spokesman Piotr Muller told reporters on Monday that around 3,000-4,000 migrants were near the Polish border, Reuters reported.

Poland’s Deputy Foreign Minister Piotr Wawrzyk told Polish public radio on Monday that, "Belarus wants to cause a major incident, preferably with shots fired and casualties”, and accused the Belarusian government of planning a "major provocation" by getting migrants to cross the Polish border.

Commenting on the situation, Russia’s Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova encouraged Poland to open its borders. “Warsaw took an active part in destroying Iraq. More than 2,000 Polish soldiers invaded the sovereign state to establish democracy. Why not accept at least as many grateful Iraqis today", Zakharova said in her Telegram channel on Monday.

Belarusian political analyst Valery Karbalevich told AP that the Moscow-backed Lukashenko regime seemed to be trying to use the migrants “to scare” the European Union (EU) and gain leverage in order to encourage the EU to drop sanctions imposed last year. This latest migrant crisis comes only three days after a new military agreement between Belarus and Russia.

The EU has accused Minsk of pushing migrants to their borders in protest of sanctions imposed in response to a crackdown on dissent. Brussels on Monday called for new sanctions against Belarus. The use "of migrants for political purposes is unacceptable,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, adding that the EU would also look at how to sanction "third-country airlines" that bring migrants to Belarus.

The United States has also called on Belarus to stop “orchestrating” migrant flows to Europe. “As long as the regime in Belarus refuses to respect its international obligations and commitments, undermines the peace and security of Europe, and continues to repress and abuse people seeking nothing more than to live in freedom, we will continue to pressure Lukashenko, and will not lessen our calls for accountability,” the United States state department spokesperson Ned Price said during a daily press briefing on Monday.

Thousands of migrants have attempted to gain entry to EU nations from Belarus this summer. Many Kurds and Iraqis are among them, hoping to reach Western Europe. So far this year, around 37,000 Iraqis left the country by unofficial means, according to data from the Summit Foundation for Refugee and Displaced Affairs (Lutka). 

Additional reporting: Shaho Amin, Alannah Travers