By Ahmet Gencturk
ATHENS (AA) – Poland and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have demanded that Belarus expel the Russian Wagner mercenary group from its territory, Polish media reported on Monday.
Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski said at a joint press conference with the interior ministers of the Baltic states that they all demand the removal of irregular migrants near Belarus' border zones with Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania, according to the state-run PAP news agency.
Reiterating that the situation around the Belarus border is what brought them together for the meeting, he said “This situation is escalating. For several months, we have been dealing with attempts by migrants to illegally cross.”
The paramilitary Wagner Group’s presence in Belarus has aggravated the situation, Kaminski noted.
He added, “Should a critical situation break out on the borders with Belarus, regardless of its Polish, Latvian, or Lithuanian border, we will retaliate.”
In such a scenario, Kaminski warned, all border crossings, that are still open with Belarus, would be closed.
In recent weeks, Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania announced measures to strengthen border security with Belarus, citing security threats posed by the Wagner Group's presence in Belarus and an increase in illegal border crossing attempts, which they blame on Minsk.
Earlier this month, the Lithuanian government announced the closure of the Tverecius and Sumskas border crossing points with Belarus.
However, the remaining four border checkpoints with Belarus – Medininkai, Lavoriskes, Raigardas, and Salcininkai – will remain open for now, it added.
The government said the decision was made due to geopolitical circumstances and the need to reduce threats in light of Wagner Group's presence in Belarus.