Turkey Bans Iraqis, Syrians and Yemenis from Traveling to Belarus
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Ankara bans Syrians, Iraqis, and Yemenis from traveling from Turkish airports to Belarus, amid the ongoing migration crisis at the latter's border with Poland.
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European Council President Charles Michel thanked Turkey for its announcement.
Ankara on Friday banned citizens of Syria, Iraq, and Yemen from flying from Turkish airports to Belarus, amid an escalating migrant crisis between Belarus and the European Union.
The announcement followed an urgent round of diplomatic contacts between Polish, Turkish, and European officials aimed at stemming the flow of people trying to illegally cross the EU's eastern frontier.
The EU accused Belarus of encouraging thousands of people fleeing war-torn parts of the world to try to cross its borders and has threatened to impose new sanctions on Minsk and airlines that transport migrants.
A European official revealed that the EU had agreed with Turkey that the latter would monitor flights to Belarus.
Bloomberg news agency quoted the source, on the condition of anonymity, as saying that Turkish Airlines agreed to restrict the sale of tickets from Istanbul to the Belarus capital for citizens coming from countries to which the migrants come, especially Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.
Due to the problem of illegal border crossings between the European Union and Belarus, it has been decided that the citizens of Iraq, Syria and Yemen who want to travel to Belarus from Turkish airports will not be allowed to buy tickets and boarding until further notice.
— Sivil Havacılık GM (@SHGM) November 12, 2021
The source also added that Ankara will prevent the use of Turkish Airlines networks in the Middle East by Belarusian national airline Belavia.
The announcement marked a partial reversal of Turkey's official stance on the deepening row between Belarus, its ally Russia, and EU states.
On Tuesday, Turkish Airlines rejected charges that its flights prepare the ground for illegal migrant trafficking. In a statement, the airline said the allegations were baseless.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu discussed the crisis over phone with Polish counterpart Zbigniew Rau on Wednesday.
Cavusoglu "expressed sadness over attempts to portray Turkey as a part of the problem," the foreign ministry said.
For his part, European Council President Charles Michel thanked Turkey on Friday for its announcement.
