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Migrants queue to collect water during the distribution of humanitarian aid in a makeshift camp on the Belarusian-Polish border in the Grodno region, Belarus November 12, 2021.

Leonid Scheglov | BelTA | Handout | via Reuters

European foreign ministers met in Brussels on Monday to discuss possible sanctions against Belarus as the humanitarian crisis at its border deepens.

Thousands of migrants, many from Syria, Yemen and Iraq, have been gathered at the border with EU member Poland in freezing temperatures for several weeks. Belarus has been accused of allowing the crisis to escalate in a bid to undermine EU security and in retaliation to the bloc's backing of the country's opposition, an allegation Minsk strenuously denies.

Belarus' foreign ministry on Monday dismissed suggestions that it had engineered the migrant crisis as "absurd," claiming that border controls had been strengthened and state-owned airline Belavia was not carrying illegal migrants, according to Russian news agency RIA.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Sunday called on NATO to take "concrete steps" to mitigate the crisis, after dozens of migrants broke through border defenses to enter Poland over the weekend.

Morawiecki indicated that Poland, Latvia and Lithuania, all of which share borders with Belarus, could seek consultations under article 4 of the NATO charter, a measure available when a NATO member believes its "territorial integrity, political independence or security" is under threat.

Last week, in light of speculation about a fresh round of EU sanctions against Belarus, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko threatened to choke off a key gas supply from Russia to Europe.

EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell reportedly told journalists in Brussels on Monday that the bloc wants to extend sanctions to airlines, travel agents and other entities involved in transporting migrants into Belarus. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas reportedly said the "sanctions spiral" was far from its end.

Meanwhile, Lukashenko was quoted in a state media report Monday as saying that Belarus was trying and failing to convince migrants to go home.

Anna Rosenberg, head of Europe and U.K. at advisory firm Signum Global, told CNBC Monday that existing EU sanctions on Minsk were partially successful.

Sanctions began to be imposed in October 2020 following what the EU called the "fraudulent nature" of the August 2020 Belarusian election, and subsequent violent repression of protesters, opposition members and journalists.

"If you look at Lukashenko's actions right now, they are a cry for help, if you will. He is trying to get the EU to stop imposing sanctions he is really blackmailing them including the recent threat to cut off gas," Rosenberg said.

Signum expects that the next round of sanctions will primarily focus on Lukashenko and his inner circle, in the form of more travel bans and asset freezes. However, Rosenberg said rumored measures against the airlines accused of helping to facilitate mass migrant arrivals in Minsk were unlikely at this stage.

These airlines include Belarus's Belavia, Turkish Airlines and Russia's Aeroflot, and Rosenberg noted that sanctions against such entities are rather complex.

"What has happened instead is that the EU is on a charm offensive, if you will. They are traveling to different capitals, they are talking to those international airlines, and we have already heard about announcements that these airlines are reducing air traffic to Belarus," she added.

Though concerns have been raised that the presence of NATO troops could increase around the Polish, Latvian and Lithuanian borders in light of the weekend's breach, Rosenberg argued that the information coming from the Polish government had to be taken "with a pinch of salt."

"It is very likely that that flow of migrants is eventually going to dry out, because we are already hearing from airlines and local governments that they are taking steps to reduce the inflow of new migrants into Belarus," she said.

"EU forces are not allowed to investigate the situation over there and the Polish government is benefiting from a rallying cry against the migrant threat for domestic political purposes."

Although the humanitarian crisis was evident, she suggested that an escalation of military presence was not imminent.

Read more:
Belarus denies engineering migrant crisis as EU strikes a tough tone on sanctions - CNBC

Threats, sanctions and even troop deployments have accompanied the intensifying migrant crisis unfolding along the Poland-Belarus border. For this, Belarus is to blame, which is cynically instrumentalizing migrants against the EU. Yet Poland and the Baltic states are not helping either. They, too, have ramped up tensions by flexing their muscles and calling for NATO to step in.

Some fear armed conflict could erupt. Indeed, Belarus strongman Alexander Lukashenko recently claimed migrants were receiving arms from eastern Ukraine.

With tensions escalating, it makes you wonder why on earthnobody is engaging in talks.Is it not,after all, standard protocol to first exhaust all diplomatic means possible to resolve a crisis, and only then resort to military threats?

Of course, efforts have been made to talk sense into Lukashenko through various different channels. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has, for instance, spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin to no avail. Then on Monday, in a bit of a U-turn, she spoke to Lukashenko, who remainsisolated in the West,on the phone, thus enhancing his position somewhat. Whether those talks have made any inroads to defusethe crisis is anyone's guess.

DW's Roman Goncharenko

But more can and must be done. It's high time for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to step up, which has been conspicuously silent of late, even though it was created specifically for resolving crises like these.

Belarus was never a fully-fledged member of the Council of Europe. It is, however, a member of the OSCE, along with all other states currently tied up inthe migrant conflict. This makes it the only international organization suited to mediate in this situation.

With every day that the crisis drags on, the more deafening the OSCE's silence has become. It makes you wonderwhat the organization is even good for. Granted, the OSCE is limited in its remit to what its member states deem appropriate. Still, it should try and get involved. With the body's Ministerial Council convening in early December, conditions look promising.

The Vienna-based organization is tailor-madefor handling the Belarus crisis. It has been led bySecretary-General Helga Schmid, a veteran diplomat, since late 2020. Schmid previously served as chief of staff under former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, and until recently held a leading position within the European External Action Service (EEAS). In 2015, she met Lukaschenko in Belarus. The OSCE has maintained a close relationship with Minsk. In 2014, OSCE talks were held there aiming to pacify the conflict in eastern Ukraine. In addition, the OSCE has a dedicated special representative to help tackle people trafficking the very crime the West accuses Lukashenko of perpetrating.

Which steps could the OSCE take, specifically? Initially, the body should appoint a highly-respected diplomat as chief Belarus envoy. This person would then approach Lukashenko and pave the way for talks. The OSCE could then stage an international conference to discuss potential ways out of this crisis. In the medium-term, observers could be dispatched to Belarus, provided Lukashenko agrees. Indeed, the OSCE may succeed in brokering observer missions to both Poland, which is reluctant to accept outsiders monitoring the situation, and Belarus.

Germany should play a bigger role in OSCE negotiations, too. Olaf Scholz ofGermany's Social Democratic Party, which is set to lead the country's next government, promised during the election campaignto engage in a "new eastern policy in the spirit of the [Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe] CSCE and OSCE."

What better time to make good on his pledge,now that the migrant crisisisworsening by the day.

This article was adapted from German by Benjamin Restle.

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Opinion: OSCE must step in to solve Belarus migrant crisis - DW (English)

"We agreed that if the Poles needed any help, the other three countries would be ready to help them immediately," Szijjarto wrote on Facebook. Igor Kovalenko/PAP/EPA

The Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Monday that the Foreign Ministers of the Visegrad Group countries (V4) agreed that they are ready to help Poland if it needs it in the face of migratory pressure on the Polish-Belarusian border.

The minister said that an extraordinary meeting of the heads of diplomacy of the V4 countries was held during the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, and that "the topic was, of course, the migratory pressure on Poland".

"We agreed that if the Poles needed any help, the other three countries would be ready to help them immediately," Szijjarto wrote on Facebook.

"First of all, we thanked the Poles and expressed recognition that they are heroically defending the external borders of the EU, and therefore also us," Szijjarto added.

He recalled that in 2015 Hungary came under similar pressure. "At that time, we could count on the help of the V4; it is natural that it is the same in the case of Poles," he said.

The Visegrad Group (V4) is an informal regional format of cooperation between the four Central European countries: Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary.

See more here:
V4 countries ready to assist Poland over migrant crisis - The First News

Head of the Ukrainian Presidents Office Andriy Yermak and Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Finance of Canada Chrystia Freeland have discussed the development of the security situation in eastern Ukraine.

A phone conversation between the two officials took place on Friday evening, November 12, Ukrinform reports, referring to the presidents press service.

"We are grateful for the consolidated support of the world community and Canada. We feel it," said the Head of the President's Office.

Yermak stressed the importance of Canada's assistance in realizing Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspirations, and expressed gratitude for Canada's unwavering support for Ukraines independence and territorial integrity.

In addition, the parties discussed the difficult situation arising from the migrant crisis on the European-Belarusian border.

Freeland also praised the efforts of the President of Ukraine in the fight against the oligarchic system, in particular the adoption of the law on de-oligarchization.

The interlocutors separately discussed ways to further develop cooperation within the Crimea Platform.

Yermak also informed Freeland about the results of his recent visit to the United States.

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Yermak, Freeland discuss migrant crisis on border with EU, situation in eastern Ukraine - Ukrinform. Ukraine and world news

Thousands of people marched in Warsaw for an annual Independence Day march that right-wing organizers said was for"protectors of the border" as Poland faces a migrant crisis at its border with Belarus.

The event, which has a history of violent incidents, was banned by a court, but that decision was challenged by Poland's nationalist administration, Reuters reported.

As thousands of migrantsattempt to enter theEuropean Union (EU) through Poland's eastern borderwith Belarus, someaccusePoland's Law and Justice government of offering support tothe far-right and perpetuating anti-migrant narratives.

People at the marchcarried Polish and nationalist flags and chanted sayings like "Viva, viva border guard" and "God, Honor, Homeland," according to Reuters.

A government spokespersondid not commenton whether the majority partyendorsed the march, redirecting inquiries to theveterans' agency that formally approved the event, the news service added.

Earlier this week, Russia blamed the EU for the alleged migrant crisis at Poland's border.

During a joint news conference with the Belarusian foreign minister,Russias Foreign MinisterSergei Lavrovsaid he hoped Europeans would not allow themselves to be drawn into a spiral that is fairly dangerous."

Belarus Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei added at the conference that bothBelarus and Russia have offered support to one another due to unfriendly activity against our countries."

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Thousands march in Poland for 'protectors of the border' amid migrant crisis | TheHill - The Hill