Turkish, Lithuanian interior ministers discuss security, cooperation

ANKARA

The Turkish and Lithuanian interior ministers held a virtual meeting on Monday to discuss security and cooperation issues.

According to a statement by the Turkish Interior Ministry, Suleyman Soylu met his Lithuanian counterpart Agne Bilotaite via video conference to discuss cooperation launched between their ministries in July to tackle the irregular migrant crisis on Belarus-Lithuania border.

Security measures at airports, training of Lithuanian police and border guards, and other related issues were also addressed during the meeting, the statement said.

Since August, EU countries bordering Belarus – Lithuania, Latvia and Poland – have reported a dramatically growing number irregular migrants from Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria crossing their borders.

Reports say that since the start of the year, the Lithuanian border guards have caught more than 4,000 migrants, mostly from Iraq, compared to only 81 in 2020.

The EU accuses Belarus of reaching out to potential travelers through seemingly official channels, including diplomatic missions and travel agencies, and invites them to Belarus by offering them visas. They are then allegedly guided to the EU border.