Belarusian Defence Minister Viktor Khrenin warned Friday of a harsh military response to any attacks following a migrant crisis on the border with EU member Poland.

In an effort to tackle a migrant crisis on the border with Belarus, Poland has moved 15,000 troops to the frontier, put up a fence topped with barbed wire and approved the construction of a wall.

Khrenin said it appeared that Poland wanted to drag Europe into a full-blown military conflict with Belarus and that the build-up of foreign troops on the Belarusian border was "in no way connected" with the migrant crisis.

"The Belarusian armed forces are ready to respond harshly to any attacks," Khrenin said in a video address. "The language of ultimatums, threats and blackmail is unacceptable."

"We'd like to warn hotheads against overestimating their capabilities," he said, stressing that Belarus' ally Russia was ready to help ensure the country's security.

Hundreds of migrants, mainly Kurds from the Middle East, have been stuck for days on the Belarus-Poland border in near-freezing temperatures, with the World Health Organization saying it was "very concerned" about their plight.

Poland is refusing to allow them to cross, with the West accusing Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko of bringing them into the country to send over the border in revenge for sanctions.

In a show of support for Minsk, Russia has sent strategic bombers to patrol over Belarus this week and on Friday the two countries said a joint battalion of paratroopers was holding snap drills near the Polish border.

Iraq to repatriate citizens 'who volunteer' from Belarus
Baghdad (AFP) Nov 12, 2021 - Iraq said on Friday it was drawing up lists of those among the hundreds of Iraqis blocked on the border between Belarus and Poland who wish to be repatriated voluntarily.

"We are ready to organise more than one trip to provide an urgent response to anyone wanting to come home voluntarily," foreign ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Sahaf said.

Hundreds of migrants and asylum-seekers, many of them Kurds from Iraq, have been stuck for days on the Belarus-Poland border in near-freezing temperatures, with the Word Health Organization saying on Friday it was "very concerned" about their plight.

Poland is refusing to allow them to cross, with the West accusing Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko of bringing them into the country to send over the border in revenge for sanctions.

Iraq has sent diplomats from Moscow and Warsaw to the border to "check on (the migrants') safety and communicate with the relevant authorities," Sahaf said.

The Belarusian diplomatic missions in Baghdad and in the Kurdistan regional capital Arbil, which had been providing Iraqis with tourist visas, were "temporarily closed" last week, he added.

Iraqi Airways indefinitely suspended its service between Baghdad and Minsk in August, airline spokesman Hussein Jalil said.

"But we have received authorisation to operate one-way flights between Minsk and Baghdad for Iraqis blocked" in Belarus, he added.

In recent weeks, would-be migrants have been forced to fly through third countries, usually Turkey, to reach Belarus.

But on Friday, Turkey banned citizens of Syria, Iraq and Yemen from flying from Turkish airports to Belarus because of the refugee crisis at the former Soviet country's border with Poland.

European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas is to travel to Baghdad Monday for talks on the crisis.

Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
A world of storm and tempest
When the Earth Quakes

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Poland blocks migrants at Belarus border, warns of 'armed' escalation
Warsaw (AFP) Nov 9, 2021
Poland said it blocked a bid by hundreds of migrants to illegally enter the country from Belarus on Monday, warning of an "armed" escalation as thousands more massed near the border. As the latest grim chapter of Europe's migrant crisis unfolded, Washington and Brussels called on Minsk to stop what they described as an orchestrated influx. NATO on Monday also hit out at Minsk, accusing the government there of using the migrants as political pawns, while the European Union called for fresh sancti ... read more