"We need effective, supportive and creative ways of welcoming migrants."Paul R. Gallagher: "Europe needs a mechanism to distribute the reception of migrants".They arrive driven like sheep and whipped with sticks as if they were animals. Covered with blankets and with some food they board buses organized by the Belarusian regime. They are not from the country, not even some nearby. They come from Afghanistan, Syria or Cameroon. It doesn't matter. Some of them even arrive in Belarus by plane, through organized mafias that charge them for the ticket, thousands of euros, in exchange for bringing them closer to the European dream.
A dream that vanishes as soon as they run into the barbed wire fences placed on the Polish border. On one side a column of Belarusian soldiers who do not let them go back (not an option for them either) on the other, Polish soldiers who return them "in the heat of the moment" if they try to cross the barbed wire fence placed and reinforced to prevent them from passing.
The European Union and NATO have called it "a hybrid attack", a term that has not been used in Brussels until now, despite the fact that the situation is not new. What makes this one different from others is that perhaps the way they are organized, the objectives and the purpose of destabilizing the European continent is clearer and more emphatic than ever. They do not even hide it.
Belarus acts in retaliation for the sanctions imposed by the EU (economic and political) for the behavior of the dictatorial regime of Alex'ander Lukashenko that have been qualified by the EU authorities as "violation of human rights". Belarus, backed by Russia with whom it shares objectives and political purposes, decides to counterattack by sending hordes, not of soldiers, but of helpless immigrants desperate to start a new life on the European continent. To do so, he organizes their trip, as if it were a macabre tourist operation, and through specialized agencies he moves them from their countries of origin, far away from the EU, to the border with Poland. The EU's external border
The tension has escalated so much that military movements of troops, planes or soldiers on both sides of the border have intensified, in a display of showing each other's teeth, Poland and the European Union on the one hand, and Belarus and Russia on the other, aware of their not only military but also strategic power in the area. The community club consumed 394 billion cubic meters of gas in 2020, of which 43% was imported from Russia, according to Eurostat. The Yamal-Europe pipeline, which is the one that passes through Belarus, has the capacity to transport 33 billion cubic meters annually to the Union. One of Lukashenko's threats is to cut gas transit to Europe at the gates of winter and in the midst of an international energy crisis.
Interview with the Secretary of COMECE
Against the backdrop of the alarming humanitarian and political situation on the Polish-Belarusian border, the COMECEThe European Bishops' Conference issues a statement urging the EU and its member states to express their practical solidarity with migrants and asylum seekers. Its Secretary General, Father Manuel Enrique Barrios, welcomes Omnes to discuss this difficult situation.
- What is the position of the EU bishops on what is happening in Poland?
With concern. It is saddening that people in vulnerable situations are used for political purposes.
- Conciliating the dignity of every human life with respect for the sovereignty of a State is complicated. Do you think that in this case a humanitarian approach should be adopted first and foremost?
This is fundamental. What makes Europe and the European Union what it is, is not first and foremost economic or even political agreements, but a shared culture of values, and the first of these values is the dignity of every human person. Therefore, the first thing to safeguard is the humanitarian approach that must prevail over all others. But, on the other hand, respect for legality and border security is also important.
- Do you think the EU is doing enough to fight human trafficking and illegal immigration?
I think he is trying. In September last year, the European Commission presented a whole package of measures, called the "Pact on Migration and Asylum"The aim of this proposal is to address the migration crisis and the crisis of asylum seekers while respecting their dignity and international law, but also the principles of humanitarian aid, rescue in distress and proposing to do everything by sharing the burden among all the Member States of the Union. We know, however, that because of the way the European Union works, where sometimes unanimous agreements between all the States are required, this is not easy to achieve.
-Do you think that European governments adopt selfish positions and adopt a mainly political perspective that does not take into account the humanitarian and tragic context of these situations?
European governments often have to face several challenges at the same time, such as, for example, the growth of populist positions in their public opinion or the fear of citizens of losing their identity, of insecurity and of losing their jobs, especially in a situation of economic crisis. All this, however, does not justify taking selfish positions and closing in on oneself and one's own borders. It is also true that the real solution to the migration crisis is to help the countries of origin so that people are not forced to emigrate.
Europe cannot allow people to die at its borders in this manner
Manuel Barrios. Secretary COMECE
-It is not the first time we see how human pain is instrumentalized for political and selfish purposes. In this case, do you think Poland is acting correctly in containing immigrants at its borders despite the human tragedy?
I believe that Poland is doing what it can in this very difficult and unfair situation and the European Union and the other member countries have to help Poland. This, however, should not be an obstacle to act with concrete solidarity towards these people by providing all the necessary help, because Europe cannot allow people to die at its borders in this way.
