The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Kestutis Budrys, has described this Friday the increase in arrivals to the autonomous city of Ceuta from Morocco in recent days, with the irregular entry of about 60,000 people, as a "wake-up call for Europe." At the same time, he has urged to strengthen investment in the control of external borders, taking as a reference "the migratory pressure orchestrated by Belarus" on his own country.
In a message disseminated on his social networks, Budrys has emphasized that "The security of Europe begins at its external borders. The events in Ceuta, Spain, are a wake-up call for Europe. After having faced the migratory pressure orchestrated by Belarus, Lithuania knows what it takes to defend the external border of the EU," highlighting next the "important investments" made by his Government in border protection.
The head of Lithuanian diplomacy has supported this approach insisting that "it is not just a matter of national security, but of the collective security of Europe" and has remarked that "the protection of the external borders of the EU is a shared responsibility" among all member states.
In this line, he has reiterated that "Lithuania supports a clear and firm EU migration policy: stronger protection of external borders, effective returns, closer cooperation with third countries, and solidarity as a fundamental pillar of all of this."
The situation in Ceuta has led to a migratory crisis with the entry of tens of thousands of people from Morocco, about 60,000 according to the president of the autonomous city, Juan Jesús Vivas. This episode has caused several partners of the European Union to call for the suspension of Spain from the Schengen area.
According to data from the Ministry of the Interior, around 25,000 migrants would have returned to the neighboring country before noon, within the operation deployed after the massive entry. The latest balance from the Spanish authorities counts at least 41 the deceased linked to this crisis.