Ambrazevich: Belarus keeps looking for ways to co-operate with EU on illegal migration issues

As the Deputy Foreign Minister pointed out, the illegal migration problem that hasn't been at the forefront in Belarus before, is now gaining prominence.

The diplomat drew attention to the fact that Belarus has publicly called on the EU to co-operate in that area. The Belarusian initiative, however, was ignored: the European countries refused to participate. No country has sent a mission to the conference, save for Hungary.

However, as the Deputy Foreign Minister noted, “We will keep looking for any possible co-operation venues and speaking out against groundless and frivolous accusations of so-called ‘weaponisation’ of illegal migration to ostensibly use it against the EU countries. Belarus is not the source of the problem, and we are ready to discuss possible solutions with our partners.”
SB REFERENCE

There are over 200 organisations that bring Belarusians living abroad together. They preserve and popularise the Belarusian culture, language, and history, as well as work on various business projects. The countries with the most numerous Belarusian diasporas are those Belarus shares borders with, as well as those where migration flows have been significant in the 19th and the 20th centuries: Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Israel, and Canada. Belarusians also reside permanently in countries like Australia, Austria, Argentina, Armenia, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Germany, Georgia, Spain, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Cuba, the United States, Uzbekistan, France, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland. The concept of ‘Belarusians abroad’ and the public policy that governs relations with them were enshrined in the Law On Belarusians Abroad adopted on June 16th, 2014.

In September 2014, the Foreign Ministry’s Advisory Council for Belarusians Abroad, chaired by the Minister, was set up. It’s a collegiate body for approving joint measures focused on strengthening ties between the government and the Belarusians abroad. The eighth meeting of the Council took place on December 13th-14th, 2023, in Minsk. Its participants reviewed results of interactions between the government and the Belarusian diaspora in 2023, socio-political and socioeconomic developments in the country, and discussed plans for furthering their partnership.

The Foreign Ministry is the key actor for the Belarusians in the World sub-programme under the Culture of Belarus State Programme for 2021-2025. The aim of the sub-programme is to ensure comprehensive interaction of government bodies and public organisations of Belarus with Belarusians abroad and their associations, involve the Belarusian diaspora to in the social, economic, and cultural development of Belarus, preserve and support its national and cultural identity, as well as promote the study of the Belarusian language in foreign countries.

The Belarusians in the World sub-programme sponsors a number of activities. It is an effective tool to support Belarusians abroad and promote a more systemic approach to developing co-operation with the Belarusian diaspora.