Belarus decided to stop allowing citizens from the Middle East to board flights from Turkey to Mink. The decision mainly targets travellers from Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
According to the state-owned airline Belavia, the decision came at the request of Turkish authorities.
“In relation to the illegal border crossing problem between the European Union and Belarus, it has been decided for citizens from Iraq, Syria and Yemen wanting to travel to Belarus from our country’s airports not to be sold tickets and not to be allowed on planes,” the aviation directorate tweeted.
Belarus’s state-owned airline Belavia said it would comply with the measure.
“In line with a decision, citizens of Iraq, Syria, Yemen cannot travel from Turkey to Belarus” it further said.
Thus, the travel ban will start from 12 November 2021.
The move came as the Belarus-Poland border crisis escalates, with thousands of migrants and refugees stranded near the frontier, hoping to enter the EU.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people are now living in a tent camp on the Belarus-Poland border in near-freezing temperatures. Poland, which has established a state of emergency in the border region enforced by hundreds of troops, refuses to allow them in.
However, the incident has led to international condemnation from the EU, US and NATO and renewed threats of sanctions.
