WARSAW: Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski has announced that the authorities are currently considering closing two operating border crossings on the border with Belarus, writes independent Belarus media outlet Belsat. “Given Belarus’s actions, we are considering closing all border crossings,” said Sikorski as reported by Business Insider.
The decision comes amidst growing concerns over Belarus’s role in a surge of Middle Eastern and African migrants towards European Union borders.
Sikorski’s statement, reported by independent Belarus media outlet Belsat and corroborated by Business Insider, emphasized the government’s deliberations regarding the economic impact of such a closure. Drawing a parallel with Finland’s response to a similar crisis with Russia, where border crossings were indefinitely shuttered in April 2024 after 1,300 migrants arrived, Sikorski hinted at the potential for Poland to follow suit.
Dr. Stephen Phillips from the Institute for Human Rights at Abo Academy, Finland, expressed concerns about the shift towards a security-centric approach on the Poland-Belarus border. He highlighted the risk that prioritizing security over humanitarian considerations could lead to violations of migrants’ rights and international law.
The crisis began in summer 2021 following the European Union’s imposition of sanctions on Belarus over disputed presidential elections. Since then, Poland and Baltic states have accused Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka and Russia of coordinating a deliberate influx of migrants, resulting in a protracted border standoff. Polish border guards have thwarted approximately 150,000 illegal crossing attempts, mostly from Belarus.
Andrzej Juzwiak, spokesperson for the Polish border guard, emphasized Belarus’s role in creating what he termed an “artificial migration route.” He noted that 90 percent of migrants attempting to cross into Poland hold Russian visas, leading EU officials to believe that Belarus and Russia are attempting to destabilize the EU.
The humanitarian situation at the Belarus-EU border remains dire, according to reports by Global Issues and DW. NGOs have faced repression in Belarus, severely limiting their ability to aid migrants. Enira Bronitskaya from the Belarusian NGO Human Constanta, now operating from Poland, highlighted increased violence and inadequate support for refugees due to the crackdown on activism in Belarus.
EU border guards stationed in Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania have been accused of using aggressive tactics and violating migrants’ rights, including denying them the opportunity to claim asylum. Bartek Rumienczyk of the Polish NGO We Are Monitoring (WAM) reported instances of physical abuse and neglect of asylum pleas, leaving migrants stranded in harsh conditions between EU and Belarusian border fortifications.
Joanna Ladomirska of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) described the region as a “death zone,” with refugees trapped amidst barbed wire and fences, devoid of adequate humanitarian assistance.
