Posted:
28.11.2024 17:31:00
Belarusian representative in Geneva: 70 migrants found dead after being pushed from EU
On November 27th, 2024, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Belarus to the United Nations Office and other International Organisations in Geneva Larysa Belskaya spoke at the 115th session of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Council, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry told sb.by
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As Ms. Belskaya said in her statement, “Belarus is highly appreciative of its constructive and results-oriented co-operation with the IOM. The recently approved joint project focused on strengthening national potential for combating illegal migration will contribute greatly to sustainable and effective state border control, including rights and safety of migrants according to the international law.”
The illegal sanctions introduced by the EU against Belarus destroyed the formerly successful joint border control system.
In 2023, Belarusian law enforcement agencies initiated dozens of criminal cases against human smugglers trying to use Belarus as a transit corridor to the EU for hundreds of illegal migrant groups. All the migrants were apprehended, charged with administrative offences and deported with a ban on entering Belarus in the future. However, no country can handle the illegal migration and human trafficking problem alone.
“Belarus is constantly calling on the EU, our neighbouring states of Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, as well as on other migrant transit and destination countries to restart a professional and constructive conversation on migration issues and to find ways to ensure safety and sanctity of human life at our common border. Unfortunately, they prefer to build barriers, to militarise the border area, to humiliate and assault migrants, including people from vulnerable groups, and to push them out by force. All that causes suffering for the displaced individuals. 70 deaths have been documented among migrants pushed out of the EU in the recent years. Hundreds more suffered injuries,” the Belarusian representative said.
Issues of illegal migration and migrants’ human rights were the focus of the international conference that took place in Minsk on November 15th. Belarus values the IOM’s participation in that conference that brought together migration-related national agencies, public associations, the diplomatic corps, and international organisations.
“I firmly believe that conference will enable a more comprehensive response to illegal migration by both strengthening our defence against it and ensuring human rights of all vulnerable displaced persons,” Ms. Belskaya emphasised.
This year, the Belarusian government approved its Migration Policy Concept for 2024–2028. It acknowledges the connection between development and migration. In order to compensate for manpower shortages in certain sectors of the national economy, the concept envisions loosening migration restrictions, including a simplified naturalisation procedure for foreign nationals who got secondary and higher education in Belarus. Integrating migrants into the Belarusian society and labour market are among its priorities.
The Permanent Representative also stated that, “We use regional integration options, in particular, our common migration space with Russia, migration co-operation within the Eurasian Economic Union and the CIS, to develop legal migration. We are also interested in the IOM support when it comes to studying the best ways to simplify legal migration needed for the Belarusian labour market.”
“Belarus welcomes the IOM Strategic Plan and will continue supporting the effort to achieve the Global Contract goals and to ensure safe, orderly, and humane migration that would benefit migrants’ countries of origin, transit, and destination,” concluded the Belarusian representative her address.
As Ms. Belskaya said in her statement, “Belarus is highly appreciative of its constructive and results-oriented co-operation with the IOM. The recently approved joint project focused on strengthening national potential for combating illegal migration will contribute greatly to sustainable and effective state border control, including rights and safety of migrants according to the international law.”
The illegal sanctions introduced by the EU against Belarus destroyed the formerly successful joint border control system.
In 2023, Belarusian law enforcement agencies initiated dozens of criminal cases against human smugglers trying to use Belarus as a transit corridor to the EU for hundreds of illegal migrant groups. All the migrants were apprehended, charged with administrative offences and deported with a ban on entering Belarus in the future. However, no country can handle the illegal migration and human trafficking problem alone.
“Belarus is constantly calling on the EU, our neighbouring states of Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, as well as on other migrant transit and destination countries to restart a professional and constructive conversation on migration issues and to find ways to ensure safety and sanctity of human life at our common border. Unfortunately, they prefer to build barriers, to militarise the border area, to humiliate and assault migrants, including people from vulnerable groups, and to push them out by force. All that causes suffering for the displaced individuals. 70 deaths have been documented among migrants pushed out of the EU in the recent years. Hundreds more suffered injuries,” the Belarusian representative said.
Issues of illegal migration and migrants’ human rights were the focus of the international conference that took place in Minsk on November 15th. Belarus values the IOM’s participation in that conference that brought together migration-related national agencies, public associations, the diplomatic corps, and international organisations.
“I firmly believe that conference will enable a more comprehensive response to illegal migration by both strengthening our defence against it and ensuring human rights of all vulnerable displaced persons,” Ms. Belskaya emphasised.
This year, the Belarusian government approved its Migration Policy Concept for 2024–2028. It acknowledges the connection between development and migration. In order to compensate for manpower shortages in certain sectors of the national economy, the concept envisions loosening migration restrictions, including a simplified naturalisation procedure for foreign nationals who got secondary and higher education in Belarus. Integrating migrants into the Belarusian society and labour market are among its priorities.
The Permanent Representative also stated that, “We use regional integration options, in particular, our common migration space with Russia, migration co-operation within the Eurasian Economic Union and the CIS, to develop legal migration. We are also interested in the IOM support when it comes to studying the best ways to simplify legal migration needed for the Belarusian labour market.”
“Belarus welcomes the IOM Strategic Plan and will continue supporting the effort to achieve the Global Contract goals and to ensure safe, orderly, and humane migration that would benefit migrants’ countries of origin, transit, and destination,” concluded the Belarusian representative her address.
