Belarus: EU Refuses to discuss fate of 2,000 migrants | WION

00:04:03
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP2Q_vOjgh8

Summary

TLDRThe video reports on the crisis of thousands of migrants stranded at Europe's borders, caught in a complex geopolitical conflict involving Belarus, Poland, and the European Union (EU). Allegedly orchestrated by Belarus, the situation sees migrants from West Asian countries lured by promises of easy access to EU nations. President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus denies seeking confrontation but warns of possible war if issues persist. The EU accuses Belarus of creating the crisis and refuses to accept migrants, while Poland strengthens its border defenses and threatens to cut links with Belarus. Despite freezing conditions and desperation among migrants, a resolution remains elusive as geopolitical tensions heighten.

Takeaways

  • 🚧 Thousands of migrants are stuck at Europe's borders amidst a geopolitical conflict.
  • 🧭 Belarus allegedly facilitated migrants' journey to EU borders from West Asia.
  • ❄️ Migrants endure harsh conditions with little food or water at the borders.
  • βš”οΈ Belarus President Lukashenko warns of potential war if the situation worsens.
  • πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡Ί The EU refuses Belarus's request to accept 2,000 migrants as crisis intensifies.
  • πŸšͺ Poland threatens to sever ties with Belarus over the migrant crisis.
  • 🌐 The crisis is labeled as a 'hybrid attack' by EU leaders.
  • πŸ”„ Belarusian soldiers reportedly help push migrants toward EU borders.
  • πŸš‘ At least 13 migrants have died, highlighting the crisis's human toll.
  • 🌍 Migrants are caught between conflict in their countries and hope for a better life.

Timeline

  • 00:00:00 - 00:04:03

    Thousands of migrants are trapped at Europe's borders, entangled in a geopolitical conflict rather than finding refuge from their war-torn countries. Belarusian President Lukashenko warns of potential war if the situation with Poland doesn't improve, seeking EU assistance to take in some migrants, which EU nations like Germany refuse. The crisis, believed to be engineered by Belarus through simplified visa processes for West Asian migrants, has led to migrants being lured by promises of easy passage to the EU. Belarus is accused of using this situation as blackmail, prompting a call for a unified EU response. Tensions rise as Poland threatens to sever ties with Belarus, framing the situation as a 'hybrid war.' Migrants, allegedly supported and sometimes forced by Belarusian troops towards Lithuania, face dire conditions in a cold, hostile environment, caught between returning home and seeking a better future.

Mind Map

Video Q&A

  • What is the geopolitical conflict involving the migrants?

    The conflict involves Belarus, the EU, and Poland using migrants as political pawns. Belarus allegedly facilitated migrants' journey to EU borders.

  • What is Belarus President Lukashenko's stance on the situation?

    Lukashenko claims Belarus does not seek confrontation with Poland and wants the EU to accept 2,000 migrants, although the EU has refused.

  • Why has the EU accused Belarus of engineering the migrant crisis?

    Belarus eased visa processes for West Asian nations, allowing many migrants to travel to Belarus with tourist visas, possibly with the intention of crossing into the EU.

  • How has Poland responded to the migrant crisis?

    Poland has threatened to cut ties with Belarus if the situation doesn't improve and is determined to protect its borders, calling the crisis a hybrid attack on the EU.

  • What is the fate of migrants stuck at the borders?

    Many migrants face harsh conditions in cold and damp environments, with limited access to food and water, and some have even died.

  • How did migrants end up at the EU borders?

    Migrants were lured by Belarusian travel agencies, given tourist visas, and led to believe reaching the EU would be easy.

  • What is the EU's stance on the situation?

    The EU refuses to accept the migrants as Lukashenko proposed and accuses Belarus of using migrants to exert pressure.

  • What did the Polish Prime Minister say about the crisis?

    He described the situation as a prelude to something worse and accused Russian forces of moving migrants to the frontier.

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Subtitles
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  • 00:00:00
    now staying with this story thousands of
  • 00:00:01
    migrants are stuck at europe's borders
  • 00:00:03
    what they hoped for was a better future
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    one far away from the conflicts in their
  • 00:00:07
    own countries but instead they have
  • 00:00:09
    become pawns in a geopolitical conflict
  • 00:00:12
    surrounded by barbed by offenses and
  • 00:00:14
    nations who want them to go back home
  • 00:00:17
    president alexander lukashenko says that
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    belarus seeks no confrontation with
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    poland but warned that a war will be
  • 00:00:23
    unavoidable if the situation does not
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    improve belarus also wants the european
  • 00:00:28
    union to take in two thousand of the
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    migrants but said that european
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    officials refused any contact on the
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    subject
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    we need to get across the polls and show
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    them that we are not barbarians we don't
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    want a confrontation we don't need it
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    because we understand that if we overdo
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    it a war will be unavoidable and it will
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    be a catastrophe we don't want any
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    escalation but we will protect those
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    hapless folks as much as we can
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    eu countries including germany again
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    rejected his call to accept migrants
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    europe has accused lukashenko of
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    engineering this crisis it started as
  • 00:01:12
    early as march this year belarus
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    simplified its visa proceedings and this
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    was done for west asian nations
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    especially iraq
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    thousands were provided with tourist
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    visas documents suggest that travel
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    agencies in west asia were working in
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    partnership with tour operators in
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    belarus all migrants had to do was take
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    a flight to belarus from there they
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    could just about drive to the border now
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    it all sounds very simple and that's
  • 00:01:36
    what the migrants were made to believe
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    too
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    many of them were lured in by
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    belarussian travel bureaus middlemen
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    offered them a passage to the european
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    union
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    the eu must not give in to blackmail
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    from lokashenko
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    we have to respond united and very
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    clearly
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    to this state sponsored hybrid attack
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    against the european union
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    the polish prime minister has called the
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    crisis a prelude to something much worse
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    he said that poland's border guard said
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    that
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    russian forces were still fearing
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    migrants to the frontier poland has even
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    threatened to severe a chain link with
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    belarus if the situation does not
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    improve in coming days
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    we will not allow anyone to abuse police
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    servicemen or your service your work
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    which you fulfilled with such dignity
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    and such efficiency we are not only
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    wholeheartedly with you but the whole
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    state of poland stands behind you
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    and we will do everything in this border
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    battle let's call it like this even if
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    only symbolically which partly is also a
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    hybrid war and not a conventional war
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    but we know that the aggressor that is
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    emboldened by weakness unfortunately
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    very often resorts to more residual
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    methods
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    meanwhile migrants claim that belarusian
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    soldiers are helping them as many as 13
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    migrants have died at the border where
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    many suffered a cold damp forest with
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    little food or water some even claim
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    that belarusian troops forced them into
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    lithuania
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    it has been days since the crisis
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    erupted on europe's borders the migrants
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    are still stuck in limbo they're out in
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    the cold and darkness at the frozen
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    frontiers of europe caught between the
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    fear of returning to their
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    conflict-ridden homelands and the hope
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    of a better life ahead
  • 00:03:56
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Tags
  • migrants
  • Europe
  • borders
  • Belarus
  • EU
  • Poland
  • geopolitical conflict
  • Lukashenko
  • migrant crisis