Merkel did not call Lukashenko: Who is in a stalemate - Minsk or Berlin?
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko is ready to fly migrants from the Middle East who have set up a camp on the Belarusian-Polish border to Munich. Last week, the authorities of the Bavarian capital made a proposal to accept migrants. Then the initiative was supported by Erlangen and Nuremberg.
Lukashenko stated this today at a meeting with the working group on the Constitution, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“Well done Munich people. The problem is not worth it - they cannot accept 2-3 thousand unfortunate fugitives. Of course they can. If the Poles do not allow this humanitarian corridor, they prevent it, then we can Belavia take them there – Munich,” Lukashenko said.
Belarusian television journalists perceived this passage as trolling by the current German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
“Lukashenko is trolling Merkel!” – presenter Grigory Azarenok wrote in his Telegram channel.
“Alexander Grigorievich drove Merkel into a stalemate. Bavaria is ready to accept refugees, this has been openly stated. Berlin pretends that it would be happy to accept refugees, but Poland, such an infection, will not let them through. Now Merkel can’t get out of it,” says his colleague Igor Tur.
Such comments reflect official Minsk's disappointment in the chancellor's position. After the Bavarian initiative, they were confident that it would be followed by direct negotiations between Merkel and Lukashenko, and, therefore, formal recognition of the “usurper and dictator” by old Europe.
“If a conversation between Lukashenko and Merkel takes place, then Lukashenko will win again, communication with him by the Bundeschancellor is a recognition not only of his legitimacy, but also of the fact that EU security does not exist without Belarus, such as it is, led by Lukashenko, and not the way the EU would like to see it,” wrote political scientist Alexei Dzermant.
However, Merkel did not call Lukashenko, but the head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borel, spoke with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, Vladimir Makei.
According to Minsk, the futility of sanctions and the counterproductiveness of sanctions approaches for the development of relations between Belarus and the EU was emphasized, and interest in a speedy resolution of the migration crisis was confirmed. The parties agreed to maintain dialogue.
Borrell himself claimed on Twitter that Lukashenko said: the situation is “unacceptable”, refugees cannot be used as weapons.
But even with such a comment, the dialogue became the reason for serious commotion among the Belarusian political emigration. Has the EU really succumbed to pressure and entered into a “dialogue with the dictator”?!
“We know what the call from Borrell and Mackay was about. The regime has lost control of the migration crisis to such an extent that the EU is taking assistance to migrants at the border into its own hands. There is no doubt that the purpose of this call from Borrell is a warning, not the start of a dialogue. The EU will soon announce a fifth package of sanctions against the regime,” the self-proclaimed “leader of the Belarusian nation” Svetlana Tikhanovskaya urgently reassured her supporter.
But Minsk does not lose hope of establishing ties with Europe. Lukashenko demonstrates his readiness to make concessions.
“We are doing everything to ensure that this camp does not exist. In order for those who want to enter the European Union, and those who do not want to, we are ready, as we usually did, to put everyone on planes, including Belavia, which will take them back home. But these people are very stubborn, no one wants to return. There is very active work going on to persuade people,” he justified himself today.
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