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"The developments on Latvia's and Lithuania's border with Belarus are not a migration crisis; they constitute a hybrid attack on the European Union and NATO," said Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, during her visit to the Lithuania‑Belarus border together with the other Baltic Speakers on Wednesday, 18 August.

"A similar scenario has befallen Latvia and Lithuania on the border with Belarus. Lithuania was first and Latvia had a little more time to prepare, but since 7 August we have been facing an organised flow of illegal migrants at the Belarusian border," emphasised Mūrniece.

The sharp increase in illegal border crossings should be seen in the context of events in Belarus, where over the last year violent repressions have been carried out and the state-controlled media have been full of hostile rhetoric against the Baltic States. The forthcoming Zapad 2021 joint military exercise of Russia and Belarus should also be taken into account, stressed the Speaker of the Saeima.

As underscored by the Speaker, in order to stop the illegal migration flow it is crucial to work with the countries of origin of these migrants. Regarding European Union (EU) member states, awareness needs to be raised about the actual reasons behind this flow of migrants and the brutal exploitation of people by the Belarusian regime.

Mūrniece emphasised that strengthening the EU's external border is a shared responsibility and urged the EU to target sanctions not only at the organisers of illegal migration, but also those assisting in its implementation.

Today, during her working visit to Lithuania, the Speaker of the Saeima met with Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Speaker of the Lithuanian Parliament (Seimas), and Jüri Ratas, Speaker of the Estonian Parliament (Riigikogu), at the Lithuanian Seimas and visited the Padvarionys border crossing point. They were joined by David Maria Sassoli, President of the European Parliament, who is visiting all three Baltic States. The Speakers of the three Baltic Parliaments also met with Gitanas Nausėda, President of Lithuania.

On Wednesday, the Speakers participated in a flower-laying ceremony at the Medininkai Memorial, which commemorates the Lithuanian border guards and customs officers who lost their lives 30 years ago in an attack by the Soviet OMON forces on the Medininkai border post on the Belarusian border.

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Saeima Press Service