MESOP MIDEAST WATCH: No One Emigrated for Political Reasons-KRSC on Migrants in Belarus

14-11-2021 ERBIL — Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) on Sunday reacted to the migrants crisis on Belarus-Poland border, saying no citizen of the Kurdistan Region has left the country for political reasons or personal freedom.

In the recent weeks, thousands of people flew to Minsk, from where they traveled to the border of Poland in hopes of finding a way to cross into Germany and apply for asylum.

Hoping to build an asylum application, some of the Kurdish migrants claimed they had left Kurdistan for political reasons or lack of freedom, which is categorically rejected by the KRSC.

In its first reaction, the KRSC said the migrants were manipulated and exploited by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), human smugglers, some travel agencies, and those who are looking for their own political interests in the crisis.

“The citizens stuck in Belarus, have spent a large amount of budget and they have traveled to the country legally, from where they want to cross into another country. No one in the Kurdistan Region has been forced to leave for political reasons and personal freedom,” reads the statement.

“These citizens have freely traveled to other countries. They would have not been allowed to travel through airports and border crossings if there was no personal freedom for them [in Kurdistan],” it added.

The Kurdistan Region Security Council, however, called for immediate action to provide assistance to the migrants stranded on the EU’s western borders, saying that the Kurdish migrants should not be used in international disputes between countries.

It also reminded that the Kurdistan Region and its safety and fast development have attracted hundreds of thousands of foreigners to find job in the Kurdistan Region.

The Kurdistan Region Parliament decided earlier this week to send a delegation to Poland and Belarus to investigate the issue and find a solution to the current crisis.