The ambassadors of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia in Egypt praised the efforts of the Egyptian government in dealing with illegal immigration, and taking measures to prevent illegal immigration by communicating with the European Union, institutions and member states of the EU. Poland's ambassador to Egypt, Mihau Wabinda, said in a press conference held on Sunday, at the headquarters of the Polish embassy in Cairo, that his country witnessed about 38,000 illegal immigrants from the beginning of the year until December, noting that the situation on the Polish border with Belarus not tense as it was in the summer. He mentioned that it witnessed a decline in the number of illegal immigrants who came from Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. He added that the European Union has taken measures to prevent illegal immigration and illegal immigrants, noting that Poland is still monitoring the situation on the border with Belarus, and that it is difficult to predict if there will be a new wave of illegal immigration. For his part, Ambassador Artūras Gailiūnas, Lithuanian Ambassador in Cairo said that Egypt has opened a dialogue with the European Union to prevent illegal immigration, and the European Union and countries bordering Belarus have adopted a unified position of solidarity towards this illegal immigration on the border with Belarus. He also praised Estonia's support despite the fact that It does not have a common border with Poland, it provided support in the form of troops, police patrols and equipment to prevent illegal immigrants. The Lithuanian Ambassador explained that the European Union has provided €700,000 to provide humanitarian aid to these illegal immigrants, which was presented to the Belarusian Red Cross Society for distribution to them. Artūras Gailiūnas pointed out that the Iraqi government sent planes at its own expense to retrieve illegal immigrants stranded in Belarus, adding that there are about 100 illegal immigrants daily on the border between the European Union and Belarus. Ambassador of Latvia in Cairo Elmars Predix, praised Egypt's policy to combat illegal immigration, which is highly appreciated by the European Union as well as the member states of the Union, and thanked Estonia, which provided aid in the crisis of illegal refugees stranded at the border with Belarus. He stressed the importance of countries' commitment to international laws towards illegal immigrants and the prevention of immigration under the cover of tourism and work, calling on Belarus to work to stop the flow of illegal immigrants. Mikko Hallgals, Estonia's ambassador to Cairo praised Egypt's wisdom in dealing with illegal immigration and cooperating with the European Union in this file, noting that the Union succeeded in controlling illegal immigration across the border with Belarus.
