Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus: the number of people seeking refugee status or subsidiary protection in Belarus may increase

Belarus does not predict a massive arrival of refugees from Afghanistan. The situation in this country was discussed at the Coordination Council of the heads of the competent authorities of the CSTO member states on the fight against illegal migration. At the same time, the Ministry of Internal Affairs does not rule out that the number of people seeking refugee status or additional protection in Belarus may increase. Nevertheless, the movement of forced migrants from Afghanistan should in no way acquire a mass character. This is due to the remoteness of our country, as well as due to the implementation of an appropriate visa policy.

Belarus has a national asylum system based on the internationally recognized concept of the protection of forced migrants. Since 1997, over six hundred people from Afghanistan have received refugee status in our country. However, most of these citizens left Belarus for third countries. Today, we have less than a hundred Afghan citizens who have received refugee status.