Salih discuss with his Lithuanian counterpart the issue of Iraqis stranded in Belarus

Baghdad - INA

The President of the Republic, Barham Salih, and his Lithuanian counterpart, Gitanas Nausida, discussed today, Thursday, the issue of Iraqis stranded at the border with Belarus, while Salih stressed the need to protect the rights of migrants and ensure their security and lives.

The Presidency of the Republic said in a statement received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), that "the President of the Republic, Barham Salih, received, today, a phone call from Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausida," noting that "the call dealt with discussing aspects of joint cooperation, strengthening diplomatic relations between the two countries, and discussing the issue of Iraqi citizens stranded at the Belarusian-Lithuanian border.

The office added that, "It was noted that the measures taken by the Iraqi government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the voluntary return of stranded citizens by operating flights, as well as its diplomatic efforts to resolve the issue.".

Salih also stressed that "Iraqi laws guarantee freedom of travel and movement for Iraqi citizens, but falling into the trap of human trafficking networks is a dangerous act," noting that "the government has taken important and urgent measures, and an investigation has been opened to find out what happened to implicate and trap citizens.".

He stressed "the need to protect the rights of migrants and ensure their security and lives as a basic principle of human rights," expressing regret for "the killing of an Iraqi citizen on the Belarusian-Lithuanian border, as an invitation was made through the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Warsaw to the Lithuanian side to provide Iraq with what it has of Information and explanations regarding the tragic killing incident.

He stated that "Iraq is committed to respecting countries and their sovereignty," calling for "the importance of joint cooperation between the two parties and increasing coordination between the concerned authorities in both countries."