Migration crises were created by Western countries themselves

Elaborating on the military causes, Putin mentioned the conflict in Iraq. "Because everyone took part, say, in operations in Iraq, and now there are a lot of Kurds from Iraq in Europe and the US. They [the West] fought in Afghanistan for twenty years, and now there are more and more Afghans in Europe and the US,” the Russian President explained.

According to him, "Belarus has nothing to do with it."

“Migrants from various countries went through other channels as well. The fact that now they have gone through Belarus is not surprising, because Belarus has visa-free entry for anyone leaving exodus countries, as Alexander Grigorievich Lukashenko explained to me," Putin went on.

Speaking about the economic reasons for the migration crisis, the head of the Russian state recalled that in Europe there are very high social benefits for migrants, which can be obtained without working.

"For example, a person who has a good-paying job, amid high unemployment in the Middle East, including in oil producing countries, even a worker in the oil industry, earns much less than the social benefits a non-working migrant receives from European governments, such as Germany. Of course, people are heading for Europe”, Putin concluded.

Instead of working in their own countries in turbulent conditions, where no basic safety rules are observed, migrants prefer to move to Europe, not to work, but get two to three times more income in social benefits.

Putin noted. "Because European countries pay for both adults and children, and education is free, and medical care is free, and housing is free, etc., I repeat, this is the policy of the leading European countries," the Russian leader summed up.

Migration crisis

Putin said that Russia has nothing to do with the migration crisis on the border of Belarus and the EU.

"I want everyone to know that we have nothing to do with it," the head of state said. "Everyone is trying to impose responsibility on us for whatever reason, or for no reason at all," the President stated.

Putin also stressed that Russian airlines do not carry migrants, who are now on the border of Belarus and the EU.
"None of our companies carries them," he assured.

Putin also said, referring to the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, that the Belarusian airline Belavia does not carry migrants either.

According to the Russian President, these people "fly on charter planes." and "it is visa-free entry - people buy tickets and fly," he explained.

"There are certain facilitating groups (aka “traffickers”) who transport these people (for huge fees) to European countries. They have been operating for many years”.

Putin said: The key link is in the EU countries. Let the law enforcement agencies and special services work on them (traffickers), if they violate something”.

However, he thinks that it is quite difficult to bring the organizers of such transport groups to responsibility, because "if you look at the domestic legislation of European countries, they do not violate anything."

"A person who lives in one country, and wants to move to another for some reason - for security or even economic reasons, can do so, without violating any EU law," Putin noted.

"If there is a violation of the law, then let the law enforcement agencies and special services of these countries work on these facilitating groups.

They should work together, and with the countries through which migrants are trying to enter Europe, including Belarus," the Russian President said.

"Once again I want to stress it: Russia has absolutely nothing to do with it. We do not participate in any processes there at all," Putin said.

Talking leaders

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed hope that the leader of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko and Germany’s outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel will have a conversation soon.

"As I understand it, Alexander Grigorievich Lukashenko and Chancellor Merkel are ready to talk to each other. I hope this will happen in the near future", Putin said.

When asked why Lukashenko and Merkel are not yet talking to each other, Putin replied. "This is not our business."

But he expressed the hope that it would be possible to establish direct contact between the European Union and Belarus.

Since the beginning of the week, Putin himself has had two telephone conversations with Merkel and one with Lukashenko. During the conversation, they discussed the situation on the Belarusian-Polish border.

The migrant crisis on the border of Belarus with Latvia, Lithuania and Poland unraveled on November 8. Several thousand refugees approached the Polish border from the Belarusian side and are camping out at the border zone. Some tried crossing into Poland by cutting razor wire fences.

The European Union is accusing Minsk of intentionally escalating the crisis and has called for more sanctions.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko blamed the situation on Western countries themselves, since it was their actions that had prompted people to flee various wars in their homelands.