Lithuanian president criticizes Poland’s border checks as ‘capitulation’ to migration issue

ISTANBUL

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has criticized Poland’s decision to introduce checks at its borders with Lithuania and Germany, calling it a "capitulation" to the challenges posed by irregular migration, public broadcaster LRT news reported.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Vilnius with visiting German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Sunday, Nauseda said that while internal border checks within the Schengen area may reflect accumulated problems, such measures must remain temporary.

“We can all probably agree that internal controls in the Schengen area reflect accumulated problems that we believe cannot be solved by other means. However, such measures must undoubtedly be temporary and must achieve results as quickly as possible and be terminated,” Nauseda said.

He added that the decision by Warsaw to introduce checks starting Monday night highlights the difficulty of controlling the EU’s external borders.

“But we must strive to do that and we must abandon as soon as possible those measures that are not characteristic of the European Union and which (…) represent a temporary capitulation to the problem,” Nauseda added.

For his part, Steinmeier said Germany is working with Poland to address the migration issue.

“Germany introduced these controls when large numbers of migrants arrived in the country ... We are coordinating with Poland on how to resolve that situation. I hope that this will not lead to a long-term dispute between Germany and Poland,” he said.

Poland says the checks are aimed at preventing irregular border crossings and combatting human trafficking, particularly along routes from Belarus and Lithuania.