World News | Lithuania Seeks Compensation from Belarus for Migrant Crisis

Vilnius (Lithuania), Apr 6 (AP) Lithuania is seeking up to 120 million euros in compensation from Belarus, accusing its eastern neighbour of orchestrating the immigration of thousands of people, mainly from Africa and the Middle East.

Since 2021, when the European Union imposed sanctions on Belarus and its longtime authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko, the number of people seeking to cross into Lithuania and enter the EU has dramatically increased.

Also Read | National Public Radio Protests As Twitter Calls It 'State-Affiliated Media'.

The foreign ministry said Thursday it has handed over a diplomatic note to Belarus, demanding compensation. Justice Minister Ewelina Dobrowolska said Wednesday that “what the Belarusian regime is doing is not a natural migration route.”

Lithuania erected a barbed wire fence along its 679-kilometre (422-mile) border with Belarus after thousands of migrants crossed into its territory in 2021.

Also Read | World Health Day 2023: WHO Calls for Urgent Efforts To Bridge Gaps Accentuated by COVID-19, Achieve Health for All.

Since mid-2021, Lithuania has refused entry to a total of 20,000 migrants from Belarus. In August 2021, Lithuanian border guards were given the right by the government in Vilnius to turn away migrants.

The 120 million euros is to cover expenses that Lithuania “suffered not only by keeping migrants, but also by strengthening our border control, infrastructure that we did not have,” Dobrowolska told reporters. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)