2024-07-23 15:05 update: 2024-07-23, 15:10
Fot. PAP/Artur Reszko
Poland’s Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak has said that thanks to the buffer zone established at the country’s border with Belarus, the number of attempts to illegally enter Polish territory dropped by 70 percent.
Siemoniak told state-owned TVP Info on Tuesday that when it comes to the situation at the Polish-Belarusian border, "a positive change" has been observed.
He added that the presence of a police prevention unit at the border also contributed to this.
"Since the beginning of June, when we implemented the police prevention force at the border, with their tactics, shields, water cannons, the situation has changed," he said. "Although more things have contributed to this change - the number of attempts to cross the border for example has diminished."
He added: "Since the introduction of the buffer zone, there have been 70 percent less (such attempts - PAP)."
According to Siemoniak, the fact that there are not only soldiers on the front line, but also police units experienced "in fighting aggressive crowds" also contributed to this.
"It was a very good decision, quite simply," he said.
The buffer zone was established on June 13. It covers roughly 60 kilometres of the Polish-Belarusian border. It is prohibited to enter the zone.
According to Siemoniak, human trafficking orchestrated by the Belarusian side takes place at the border.
"Someone pays a not inconsiderable amount of money in Africa or the Middle East and the smugglers arrange for them to fly, travel, cross the border and then get illegally to Germany or even further. That is the goal," he said.
The migrant pressure on the country’s eastern border is a direct result of organised smuggling of migrants and refugees to the region by the Belarusian government as it aims to destabilise the EU.
As a result, great numbers of people end up stranded on the border without appropriate living conditions and an aggravated situation in Poland’s eastern regions with occurrences such as soldiers getting injured while on duty. One such incident has already resulted in a soldier’s death due to stab wounds acquired during an intervention. (PAP)
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