Afghanistan may be the next stage of the migration crisis says Polish PM

Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki visited Estonia and Lithuania on Sunday to discuss the border crisis with his counterparts from the Baltic states. He will travel to Latvia later in the day.

Morawiecki said in Lithuania that he was receiving information that the difficult situation in Afghanistan after the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) took over the country in August “may be used as the next stage of the migration crisis.”

“I think that the things that unfold before our eyes, these dramatic events, may only be a prelude to something much worse,” he added.

Poland and Lithuania called for continued support from the European Union and NATO.

“For us, it is very important that any talks (with Belarus) are coordinated with Lithuania, Poland, and Latvia, which are at the forefront of the hybrid attack, and no decisions are taken which do not solve the situation fundamentally,” Lithuanian PM Ingrida Simonyte told reporters.

Poland accused Belarus of continuing to ferry migrants to its border, despite clearing camps close to the frontier earlier this week, as Polish premier Mateusz Morawiecki toured Baltic states to seek support in the crisis.

There had been 208 attempts by migrants to force their way into Poland from Belarus on Saturday (November 20), the border guard said, a few more than on Friday (November 19) but well below the 501 attempts recorded on Wednesday (November 17).

Neighboring Lithuania said 44 migrants were prevented from entering on Saturday, the lowest number in a week.