Lithuania receives shipment of humanitarian aid from Portugal

VILNIUS – Lithuania, which is grappling with an influx of illegal migrants entering from Belarus, has on Thursday received a shipment of humanitarian aid from Portugal, which has sent food rations for illegal migrants, the Interior Ministry said.

“Lithuania is getting more and more support from its partners, and it constitutes not just assistance but also support to our actions. All shipments being received are intended for migrants, to ensure them the minimum living standards,” the press release of the ministry quoted Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite as saying.

Lithuania has already received expert-level assistance, equipment, modular units, concertina razor wire from Austria, Estonia, Poland, Slovenia and Ukraine.

Moreover, officers delegated by Austria, Estonia, Poland and Slovenia have joined Lithuanian border guards at the country’s border with Belarus to help address the challenges of illegal migration.

Under the EU's civil protection mechanism, Lithuania has received humanitarian aid from 18 countries in the form of tents and modular units, beds, blankets, furniture, electric generators, heaters and other items needed to house migrants.

Meanwhile, officers delegated to Lithuania by FRONTEX, EUROPOL and the European Asylum Support Office, including experts, interpreters, border surveillance officers, social workers, etc., help the country cope with the migration crisis more rapidly and effectively.