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Poland offers humanitarian aid to migrants in Belarus: foreign ministry

23.08.2021 13:00
Poland has offered humanitarian aid to migrants in Belarus amid a crisis on that country's border with the European Union, the foreign ministry in Warsaw has said.
The Polish foreign ministry building in Warsaw.
The Polish foreign ministry building in Warsaw.Photo: PAP/Tomasz Gzell

"Concerned to watch the plight of a group of immigrants staying on the territory of Belarus, and guided by humanitarian reasons," the Polish foreign ministry said it had submitted a "diplomatic note" to its Belarusian counterpart "wherein it offered to provide material aid on site."

"Poland asked Belarus about present needs and declared its readiness to supply aid in the form of, among others, tents, beds, sleeping bags, blankets, pyjamas, beddings and personal protective equipment, as well as food and medicines, if needed," the Polish foreign ministry said in a statement in English on Monday.

It added that "bearing in mind the seriousness of the situation, Poland is ready to dispatch a humanitarian convoy immediately."

"If the Belarusian side consents, the convoy sent by the Government Agency for Strategic Reserves will be scheduled to enter the territory of Belarus at the nearest border crossing and will reach the migrants’ location by the shortest route," the statement also said.

The prime ministers of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia said on Monday that the ongoing migrant crisis on the EU's border with Belarus "has been planned and systemically organized by the regime of Alexander Lukashenko."

That joint statement by Poland's Mateusz Morawiecki, Lithuania's Ingrida Šimonytė, Latvia's Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš and Estonia's Kaja Kallas was released after Poland and the Baltic states last week accused Lukashenko's regime of intentionally pushing thousands of migrants over the EU's eastern border in retaliation for EU sanctions.

(gs)

Source: PAP, gov.pl