In Belarus

In a phone call on Nov. 10, Turkish and Polish foreign ministers discussed the migrant crisis at the Poland-Belarus border.

According to Turkish diplomatic sources, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu told Zbigniew Rau that Turkey is tried to be shown as a part of the problem despite not being a party to it.

Poland said it blocked a bid by hundreds of migrants to illegally enter the country from Belarus on Nov. 8, 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.

France's ambassador to Belarus has left the country after the authorities in Minsk demanded he leave by Oct. 18, the embassy said.

The spokeswoman who made the announcement did not say why the Belarusian authorities told him to leave.

Several thousand people protested under the slogan "Stop torture at the border".
The protesters accused the Polish authorities of cruel behavior due to pushing migrants back and the introduction of a state of emergency at the border, which prevents human rights activists and humanitarian organizations from helping migrants.

Growing number of migrants wants to enter the EU along that route.
After a few months ago, in response to Brussels' sanctions, Belarusian President Lukashenko allowed migrants from the Middle East, mainly from Syria and Iraq, to enter the country unhindered, the situation on the Polish border is becoming a new crisis hotspot.

A view of an information board regarding the state of emergency near the border with Belarus in Zubrzyca Wielka, northeastern Poland, 03 September 2021. EPA-EFE/Artur Reszko

One of them was an Iraqi man, found on Sunday by Polish border guards near the village of Dworczysko, together with two others, all suffering from hypothermia. The two still alive are recovering in hospital.

Lithuanian border guards stopped more than 2,000 illegal Asian and African migrants coming from Belarus over the month of tough measures in force in the Baltic nation to prevent breaches of its territory,

"Over the past month since the government decided on an enhanced border protection policy, over 2,000 illegal migrants have been pushed back to Belarus," the statement says.

Stoltenberg assessed that the crisis is a new hybrid attack of Belarus and that NATO will react because of that.

This was announced today by the European Council.
On June 21, the EU Council imposed sanctions against 78 Belarusian citizens and seven entities for serious violations of human rights and repression of civil society, the opposition and journalists, and for the forced landing of a passenger plane.

EU foreign ministers have resolved to impose their toughest punitive measures yet on Belarus, a package of economic sanctions targeting sectors that benefit the government of President Alexander Lukashenko.

EU Foreign policy top representative, Josep Borrell, announced the decision following a Monday meeting in Luxembourg, and said he believed they would "put pressure" on Lukashenko.