By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA for the Associated Press
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Hundreds of migrants who were camped in the cold on the Poland-Belarus border have been moved to a nearby warehouse in Belarusian territory, reports said Wednesday, with some reported to still harbor hopes of entering the European Union.
The move came a day after a melee broke out in the border crisis, with migrants throwing stones at Polish forces massed on their side of the razor-wire fence, injuring 12, and they responded with water cannons and tear gas. Warsaw accused Belarusian forces of instigating the conflict, while the government in Minsk denounced Poland’s “violent actions.”
The migrants, mostly from the Middle East, have been stuck at the border since Nov. 8. Most are fleeing conflict or despair at home and want to reach Germany or other western European countries.
The West has accused Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko of using the migrants as pawns to destabilize the 27-nation bloc in retaliation for its sanctions on his authoritarian regime. Belarus denies orchestrating the crisis, which has seen migrants entering the country since summer and then trying to cross the borders into Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.
On Wednesday, Poland’s Border Guard tweeted a video showing migrants with bags and backpacks being directed by Belarus forces away from the camp near the Kuznica border crossing, and Polish Deputy Interior Minister Maciej Wasik said he had received information that they were leaving on buses.
The Belarus state news agency Belta reported that migrants were moved to a heated, warehouse-like building about 500 meters (yards) from the border near Bruzgi, giving them the chance to rest indoors after many days in tents.
One of them, an Iraqi Kurd named Miran Ali, took video inside the warehouse and said Belarusian authorities said they wouldn’t be forced to return home, causing the migrants to chant in gratitude, “Belarus! Belarus! Belarus!”
“This is the joy and happiness of Kurdish people after they were told that they will not be sent back to Kurdistan by force, and that they can wait here until Germany or one of the cities in Germany take them there,” Ali said as he shot video of the chants. “These people are expressing happiness and optimism in this cold and ugly camp.”
They sat on blankets, most still wrapped in heavy jackets and raincoats.
Belta reported about 1,000 migrants agreed Tuesday to move into the building, located near Bruzgi, to “wait for the situation to resolve,” and it quoted some of them as saying that they are not planning to return to their home countries. Most of the building’s space has been allocated for the migrants, who are offered food, water, medical aid, mattresses and pillows, the news agency said.
Some migrants opted to stay outside near the border. Poland’s Defense Ministry posted video showing people and tents there, with some smoke rising from bonfires.
The next steps in the crisis are unclear. Although arrangements have been made for flights from Minsk to Iraq to repatriate those who want to return, it is not certain how many will want to go.
Iraq has been appealing for its citizens to fly home, telling them the way into the EU is closed. The first flight from Minsk for voluntary repatriation to Iraq is expected to take place Thursday.
Belarus also released video from its State Border Committee, alleging it showed Lithuanian border guards with dogs pushing migrants away from the Belarus-Lithuania frontier Tuesday night.
Lithuania denied the claim, releasing its own video of the same incident. It blamed Belarusian officials for pushing the group of 13 migrants toward the Lithuanian side and preventing them from returning to Belarus after being stopped by the Lithuanian guards.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke with Lukashenko for the second time this week, stressing that migrants should be given the possibility to return to their home countries with the help of the UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration.
Steve Alter, a spokesman for the German Interior Ministry, denied Berlin was planning to bring the migrants to Germany. The “road to Belarus is a dead end for most people who want to go to Germany. There are no plans to approve taking people in,” he said.
German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said U.N. aid was beginning to reach the migrants and it was important to ensure humanitarian agencies gain permanent access, even if it meant talking to Lukashenko, whose legitimacy is questioned by the West following a disputed 2020 reelection.
“It makes sense to also talk to those who have the opportunity to change this situation in Minsk, even when it comes to a ruler whose legitimacy, like all other European member states, Germany does not recognize,” Seibert said, adding that Merkel coordinated with other EU partners and is committed to the bloc’s stance of tightening sanctions on Minsk.
Meanwhile, Polish President Andrzej Duda said there is “no military threat” at the border from the primarily civilian police and border guards that are there to protect the EU from the pressure of “illegal migration.” The presence of the Polish military there is chiefly as a backup, Duda said on a visit to Montenegro.
Duda stressed that Poland will not accept any international decisions on the border standoff that are made without Poland’s participation. Duda was referring to the talks involving Merkel and Lukashenko.
Information on both sides of the border is hard to verify due to government restrictions. A state of emergency in Poland is keeping journalists, human rights workers and others away from the border along a zone that is 3 kilometers (2 miles) deep, and Belarus limits the presence of independent journalists.
Estonia, which also is affected by migrant movements but to a lesser degree, said it would build a temporary razor wire barrier of up to 40 kilometers (25 miles) on its eastern border with Russia as a temporary solution to ensure border security.
This northernmost of the three Baltic nations with a population of 1.3 million, Estonia shares a 294-kilometer (183-mile) land border with Russia and a 340-kilometer border with Latvia but does not neighbor Belarus.
Estonian Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets told public broadcaster ERR on Tuesday that the crisis stems from Lukashenko’s bid to be recognized by the West as president and have the EU sanctions lifted, stressing it was important for them to remain in place.
“In our view, it is important that the European Union remains united and exerts its influence on Belarus through action,” Liimets said, adding new sanctions should be imposed as soon as possible.
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Salar Salim in Baghdad, Daria Litvinova in Moscow, Frank Jordans in Berlin, Jari Tanner in Tallinn, Estonia, and Vanessa Gera in Warsaw contributed.