Poland will start building a wall on the border with Belarus in December – SME.sk

WARSAW. Poland wants to start building a wall on its border with Belarus in December, and it wants to finish it in the first half of next year. This was announced on Monday by Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski, informs the DPA agency.

Strategic investment

According to the minister on Twitter, construction work on a permanent barrier to stop the influx of illegal migrants, mostly from the Middle East seeking to enter the EU via Belarus, will begin at the same time on four border sections. Builders will work 24 hours a day in three shifts. The relevant contracts are due to be signed by December 15, after which construction is scheduled to begin.

“This task, which we must fulfill, is an absolutely strategic and priority investment for the security of the state and its citizens,” Kamiňski emphasized.

Related article

Related article A crowd of migrants gathered at the border crossing between Poland and Belarus Read

The construction of the 5.5 meter high wall, which was approved by the parliament in October, will cost 353 million euros. The wall should be 180 kilometers, which is about half of the total length of the Polish-Belarusian border. Since the summer, thousands of migrants from conflict countries have tried to cross the border between Poland and Belarus.

Dangerous conditions

Warsaw responded by sending thousands of troops to the border area, setting up an emergency, as well as quickly building a barbed wire fence. The Polish government has earned harsh criticism for its tough stance in the migration crisis, during which refugee border guards are pushing back to Belarus. At the same time, non-profit organizations warned of increasingly dangerous conditions.

Both the Polish government and the European Union blame the regime of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko by organizing the transport of migrants to the EU’s external borders. According to them, he wants revenge for the sanctions that the EU has imposed on Belarusian in connection with the suppression of the local opposition and civil society.