Notwithstanding the risks of embarking on a journey fraught with dangers and even death, scores of migrants are choosing to put their destinies in the hands of local smugglers in Iraq to get into the EU via Belarus.
Image: nn.by
Last week Lukashenka demanded a reduction in the Belarusian diplomatic presence in unfriendly countries while Makei made several threats to Western states.
At a meeting on foreign policy infrastructure, Lukashenka demanded that Belarusian Embassies focus on export growth and inward investment in cooperation with their host countries. Embassies not achieving these goals should be subject to staffing reductions or closure. Those Embassies that remain should act as the trade offices of Belarusian enterprises.
It should be noted that Lukashenka defined “friendly countries” as those that purchase the most significant quantities of Belarusian products. However, at the same conference, these countries (Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine and Germany) were repeatedly characterised as enemies.