Iraq halts direct flights with Belarus amid migrant crisis
Erbil (Kurdistan 24) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has ordered a pause on direct flights with Belarus in an attempt to prevent what an official described as "human smuggling," the official Iraqi News Agency reported Friday.
The announcement comes as a Belarusian airline said it would stop Iraqis, Syrians, and Yemenis from flying to the country through Turkey amid an increasingly dire humanitarian crisis.
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"The Iraqi embassies in Moscow and Warsaw are coordinating Iraq's efforts for the voluntary return of those stranded at the borders of Belarus (Belarus)," the agency quoted foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed al-Sahaf as saying.
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"Iraq has stopped direct flights between Iraq and Belarus," he said.
Sahaf added that the foreign ministry "has temporarily withdrawn the work permit of the honorary Belarusian consul in Baghdad."
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