EU chief diplomat expresses support over Belarus migration pressure

The EU's high representative for foreign affairs expressed support for Poland, Lithuania and Latvia on Friday in connection with migrationary pressure caused by a "cynical exploitation of migrants and refugees" by Belarus.

Speaking during a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Slovenia, Josep Borrell expressed solidarity with the three countries and said the EU stood ready to take any steps necessary to support them if the situation continued to worsen.

In recent weeks Poland, Lithuania and Latvia have observed increasing numbers of migrants crossing into their territories from Belarus. Around 30 Middle Eastern migrants have been camped for the past three weeks on the Polish-Belarusian border after being refused entry by Poland. 

Borrell accused the regime of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of using migrants and refugees to apply artificial pressure on the eastern borders of EU countries.

He also pointed out that the EU had expressed solidarity with Spain when pressure grew on its borders, saying at the time that Spain's border was the southern border of the EU. He added that the time had come to say that the borders of Lithuania and Poland are also Europen borders.