Lithuania is seeking up to 120 million euros ($130 million) in compensation from Belarus, accusing its eastern neighbor of orchestrating the immigration of thousands of people, mainly from Africa and the Middle East. Since 2021, when the European Union imposed sanctions on Belarus and its longtime authoritarian ruler, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, the number of people seeking to cross into Lithuania and enter the EU has dramatically increased. The Foreign Ministry said on April 6 that it has handed over a diplomatic note to Belarus, demanding compensation. Since mid-2021, Lithuania has refused entry to a total of 20,000 migrants from Belarus. To read the original story by AP, click here.
Lithuania Seeks Compensation From Belarus For Migrant Crisis
Migrants stand behind a fence inside a newly built refugee camp south of Vilnius in August 2021.