Belarus refugee crisis: Turkey imposes flight ban on citizens of Syria, Iraq, Yemen

Photo: AA

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Turkey will not allow the sale of air tickets for Belarus to citizens of Syria, Iraq and Yemen, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has announced.

The decision was given in relation to the "illegal border crossings" between Belarus and Poland, the directorate said in a Twitter post on Friday (November 12).

Citizens of the three countries will not be allowed to take flights from Turkey to Belarus, it said.

President of the European Council Charles Michel welcomed the decision, thanking Ankara for its "support and cooperation."

Thank you to the Turkish authorities and @SHGM for your support and cooperation. https://t.co/w0B0aaytBL

— Charles Michel (@eucopresident) November 12, 2021

The vice-president of the EU Council, Margaritis Schinas, also welcomed what he said was "a wise decision."

Belarus' flag carrier Belavia announced that it will comply with Turkey's decision and refund the passengers affected by it.

EU countries bordering Belarus,  Lithuania, Latvia and Poland, have reported an excessive increase in "irregular crossings" since August. The EU and NATO have accused Belarus of trying to "destabilize and undermine security in the bloc through non-military means."

Turkey's flag carrier was also accused of being involved in human smuggling from Belarus to EU countries, which Ankara has denied.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last week called for sanctions on "third country airlines" that were involved in human smuggling.

There are about 4,000 refugees stranded between Belarus and Poland, the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) reported, citing Poland's official news agency. (KÖ/VK)