Central European nations back Poland in migration dispute

By JUSTIN SPIKE
Associated Press

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — The leaders of three Central European countries on Tuesday expressed their support for Poland in an ongoing migration crisis on its eastern border with Belarus. Following talks in Budapest, the prime ministers of Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia all urged the European Union to provide assistance to Poland in securing its border. Thousands of migrants in recent weeks have tried to enter Poland, an EU member, through its eastern neighbor Belarus. The EU has accused Belarus’ authoritarian leader, Alexander Lukashenko, of manufacturing the crisis in an effort to destabilize the bloc. Poland’s Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, said Tuesday that fewer migrants were now arriving in Belarus thanks to his country’s talks with leaders in Iraq, Kurdistan, Turkey and elsewhere.