Illegal migration: “Migration as a weapon”: Dobrindt visiting Poland

Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt praises Polen’s efforts to secure the border with Belarus. He was convinced that this “enormous effect” showed, the CSU politician said during a visit on site. “Here you can see how effective external border protection is done.”

Dobrindt visits highly secured border

It is a big problem that Russia and Belarus tried to use “migration as a weapon” to destabilize Poland, Germany and the European Union, said Dobrindt.

Dobrindt took up the choice of words of his Polish counterpart Tomasz Siemoniak, who showed him the closed border crossing Polowce to Belarus. The course of the border there is secured by a high steel fence and electronic surveillance.

Poland has strongly attached its eastern border to Belarus because from there numerous refugees try to penetrate the EU. Warsaw assumes that the illegal border crossings are deliberately promoted by the tours in Belarus and Russia to put the EU under pressure. Migrants often act against border guards; A Polish soldier was also injured last week.

Dobrindt praised the controls that Poland also introduced in response to stricter German border controls on the German border. There is also checking on the border with Lithuania. “We support that,” said the German minister. This is an important contribution to preventing a new migration route from Belarus via the Baltic States. He underlined the good relationships. “Poland is the most important partner in Germany within the EU next to our French neighbors.”

Poland hopes for support

Siemoniak, according to the Papal news agency, told Poland 11,000 civil servants and soldiers for the border with Belarus. “I would like to show this to the German Interior Minister in the awareness that the fight against illegal migration at the external borders of the European Union must be led here.” He estimated that it was possible to intercept 97 to 98 percent of the border injuries.

Poland also counts on Germany’s support and the EU, also a financial statement to protect the EU external borders. “Migration is a common problem, and I have often emphasized that no country can solve it at another,” said Siemoniak, according to his ministry.