Latvian Minister: "The whole of Europe must act"

This year alone, Lithuania has seen ten times more illegal migrants trying to cross the border from Belarus compared to last year.

- We call on Europe to act in solidarity and send a strong political message to our neighbors, Belarus and Russia - that Europe is strongly united and that the whole of Europe must act, says Deputy Minister of the Interior, Arnoldas Abramavičius.

"Revenge against sanctions"

Lithuania has long been one of the strongest critics in the EU of the Belarusian dictatorship and its leader Alexander Lukashenko.

There are suspicions that the recent sharp rise in migrant flows is revenge for the sanctions imposed on Belarus in response to the hijacking in which the Belarusian military forced a Ryanair plane to land in Minsk and hand over a journalist critical of the regime.

- After that, the EU reacted by imposing sanctions on the regime.

Mr Lukashenko threatened not only Lithuania but also the whole EU with flooding the EU with migrants and drugs, said Deputy Interior Minister Arnoldas Abramavičius.

SVT has sought Foreign Minister Ann Linde (S) for a comment.

“Normally, very few asylum seekers apply to Lithuania. It is understandable that Lithuania is now under heavy pressure, with many people crossing the border illegally. Lithuania has received help from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex, "writes Simon Sätherberg, press secretary at Morgan Johansson, in a comment.