Within 48 hours, humanitarian flight for Iraqis wishing to return from Belarus

INA - BAGHDAD 

Ministry of Migration and Displaced clarified on Wednesday, the nature of the government’s procedures for following up on the humanitarian crisis suffered by Iraqis stranded on the borders between Belarus and Poland.

"The Ministry is following up on this case of the illegal immigration crisis from Belarus to Poland, and since its outbreak, the government has issued a decision to stop the flights to Belarus as a goodwill gesture towards the European Union,” said Karim Al-Nouri - Deputy Minister of Migration and Displaced to Al-Iraqiya News TV, followed up by the Iraqi News Agency (INA).

He added that "the flow of Iraqis to Belarus is from countries that have borders with it. The border strip between Lithuania, Latvia and Belarus with Poland extends for 600 km, as we demand the security services in those countries to control it,”

"The Iraqi government is closely following up on the situation of the Iraqis stranded at the border, as the Minister of Transport has arrived in Moscow, and there are movements, for within 48 hours there will be an exceptional flight from Belarus to Iraq for a voluntary return. We cannot force them to return,” he explained.


Regarding the government's position on the exposure of Iraqis stuck there to human rights violations, Al-Nouri noted that "the Iraqi government communicates with the countries and the Iraqis, and we demanded those countries to deal humanely with the Iraqis, and those who do not have a passport were given a transit paper to return,”

"The European Union insists on not granting asylum seekers to Poland from Belarus and other countries, and this matter is clear, and we appeal to the Iraqis there to voluntarily return to the country,” he pointed out.

He added, “We demand Belarus to clarify the situation, because it says that gangs are blackmailing Iraqis and taking money from them, and the situation has taken a dangerous turn, as we have formed an Iraqi governmental committee at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to follow up the affairs of the Iraqis there and have prepared an exceptional trip for them to return,”

“Belarus used the Iraqis as a pressure card in front of the European Union, and the Iraqis should beware of that because the danger is great, and we called on neighboring regional countries such as Iran and Turkey not to grant the Iraqis the right to travel from them to Belarus,” he included.