Poland Ready to Sponsor Migrant Repatriation: PM
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Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki says Warsaw was ready to sponsor the repatriation of migrants stranded on its borders and calls on the EU to participate as well.
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Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in Brussels, October 2, 2020 (Credit: Reuters)
Poland is ready to sponsor the repatriation of illegal migrants stranded on the borders with Belarus while attempting to cross into the EU through Poland, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Sunday.
"If Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko had good intentions, then we will immediately take up on this positive sign, and we will help fund the repatriation of the migrants to Iraq and other countries," Morawiecki said.
He also called on the European Union to participate, "for migrants are not planning to stay in Poland; they aim to reach Germany or the Netherlands." The premier also noted that, at the same time, Warsaw does not need the help of the EU's border agency, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said war could not be ruled out in light of the tension between his country and Belarus over the migrant crisis.
Upon being asked by German newspaper BILD about the risk of war looming in light of a potential intervention of NATO allies, Morawiecki said, "We cannot rule out anything."
Polish President Andrzej Duda had previously discussed with NATO chief Jans Stoltenberg the refugee crisis on his country's borders, asking NATO to bolster its defense in Eastern Europe.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel had previously discussed humanitarian aid with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, and the latter asserted that he was ready to respond if Brussels fulfilled its pledges while affirming that he did not want the migrant crisis to escalate into a confrontation.
