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UN agency advises to move refugees from Polish border to safer location in Belarus

When asked about possible solutions, Mantoo said they may vary, "depending on individual circumstances and needs of people"

GENEVA, November 24. /TASS/. Some of asylum seekers, stranded on the border between Belarus and Poland and attempting to cross into the European Union, may have legitimate reasons to do so, such as reunion with families in other European countries, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesperson Shabia Mantoo has told TASS.

"As an immediate measure, the priority is for the group to be relocated to a safer site in Belarus away from the border area, to prevent further loss of life," she said.

According to the spokesperson, those people "need to urgently be relocated to safe and dignified accommodation where their basic humanitarian and medical needs can be met and counselling can be provided, with a view to identifying suitable solutions for each individual, based on their specific profile and individual circumstances."

When asked about possible solutions, Mantoo said they may vary, "depending on individual circumstances and needs of people."

Among various options, she named application for asylum in Belarus "for those who wish to seek asylum." At the same time, "some asylum seekers and refugees in the group may also have compelling reasons to move, including to reunite with family members elsewhere in Europe," she continued.

"For those that are determined not to be in need of international protection, another solution is an assisted, safe and dignified, voluntary return home," the spokesperson said.

In her words, UNHCR maintains contact with "concerned authorities" and "urged them to explore all humanitarian options to respond to this situation, tailored to the individual circumstances, human rights and international protection needs of people in this group."

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry’s press service said on Tuesday that Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Aleinik met with the Regional Director of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Renate Held, and the Deputy Director of Bureau for Europe of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Angela Li Rosi.

During the meeting, the parties confirmed mutual interest in maintaining and further developing interaction between the Belarus, on the one hand, and IOM and UNHCR, on the other.

"Representatives of international organizations informed about the opportunities available within their mandates to assist in resolving crisis situations with refugees and migrants, including their voluntary return to homeland and family reunification in the EU and other states," the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Border crisis

The migrant crisis on the Belarusian border with Latvia, Lithuania and Poland where Middle Eastern migrants have been flocking to since the beginning of the year, quickly unraveled on November 8. Several thousand refugees approached the Polish border from Belarus and refused to leave the area, breaking down a barbed wire fence and attempting to cross into Poland. On November 16, after clashes with Polish federal officers who used tear gas and stun grenades, the migrants left the border area and were accommodated at the Bruzgi transport and logistics center.

EU countries have accused Minsk of intentionally escalating the crisis and have called for sanctions. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko stated that Western countries themselves were to blame for this quagmire since these people were fleeing war in their homelands due to the West’s belligerent policies that have wreaked havoc in that part of the world.