Premiers of Poland, Iraq's KRG discuss migrant crisis over phone

By Bekir Aydogan

ERBIL, Iraq (AA) - Poland's prime minister on Thursday held a phone conservation with the prime minister of the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), discussing the migrant crisis at the Belarus border.

Mateusz Morawiecki and Masrour Barzani agreed that the migrants were deceived by "organized human traffickers" and described the migrants as "victims of organized crime," according to a statement by the KRG.

During the phone conversation, they also evaluated measures taken at airports and borders, as well as efforts to facilitate the voluntary return of migrants to their homes.

Since August, the EU countries bordering Belarus -- Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland -- have reported a dramatically growing number of irregular crossings.

Over 8,000 people have tried to enter the bloc via the Belarus-EU border so far this year, up sharply from just 150 last year.

According to the EU, Belarus reaches out to potential travelers through seemingly official channels, including diplomatic missions and travel agencies, and invites them to Belarus by offering visas. They are then allegedly guided to the EU border.

​​​​​​​Over the last week, at least 2,000 people, including women and children, have been stuck in the Belarusian-Polish border area in dire conditions.​​​​​​​