BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th October, 2021) German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer in an interview with the German tabloid Bild, said that Poland's decision to build a fence on their border with Belarus amid the ongoing illegal migration crisis was legal.
"In the spirit of the European idea, I am convinced that we must know who is arriving (to our country). It is legal that we strive to protect our external borders in such a way, so that it will be impossible to cross them unnoticed," the lawmaker said referring to Poland's actions as quoted by the newspaper.
On October 14, Poland's lower house passed a bill that will allow the country to erect a fence at their border with Belarus in an attempt to stop the influx of illegal migrants trying to enter the country.
Seehofer noted that the situation with the illegal migration is so serious that it exerts strong pressure not just on Germany, but on the whole of Europe. The German-Polish border, for instance, is patrolled by hundreds of border guards around the clock, and if necessary their number will be increased.
"Ideally, there should be no border control at all within Europe. But this can only be possible if external borders will be protected," Seehofer added.
On October 20, Seehofer confirmed his proposal that Germany and Poland arrange joint border patrols to control the numbers of refugees arriving to the European Union through Belarus.
In August,�Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said EU sanctions left Minsk with no resources to restrain the flow of migrants to the EU any longer. Poland, as well as neighboring Lithuania and Latvia, have reported an increase in illegal crossing attempts. They accuse Belarus of encouraging migration, which Minsk denies.
On October 22, a number of EU leaders confirmed their readiness to further adopt personal sanctions against Belarus over the influx of migrants.
