G-7 calls on Belarus to end migrant crisis

The G-7 group of nations condemned what it called the "orchestration of irregular migration across borders" by the Belarusian government, after neighboring Poland reported new attempts to cross its border.

“We call on the regime to immediately cease its aggressive and exploitative campaign to prevent further death and suffering,” the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain and the United States said in a joint statement. “International organizations must have immediate and unhindered access to provide humanitarian assistance.”

European countries accuse Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of pushing thousands of migrants, mostly from the Middle East, across the border illegally in retaliation for European Union sanctions that punish Belarus for its crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. Belarus has denied orchestrating the migrant buildup at the border.

The G-7 said Belarus was trying to “deflect attention” from its violations of international law and human rights. The statement expressed solidarity with Poland as well as with Belarus’s two other neighbors, Lithuania and Latvia.