German minister says Russia can use people as weapons

Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned on Saturday that Russia could try to stir up divisions in the West through refugees, as Moscow seeks to expand its <x0-> hybrid war”.

This war is not only about guns, it's about energy, and we've got an answer for that. But it will also be done with fear and division, and that is exactly what we need to prevent”, she said at a congress the Green Party.

The “in this situation is clear what will happen next to refugees and not refugees from Ukraine... but because this war is hybrid, other countries are also participating”, Baerbock said, citing Serbia, which she accused of putting on visa-free migrants.

Stressing that there cannot be a “situation where people are being used as weapons”, the minister said Germany is in talks with the Czech Republic and Slovakia on the issue.

Germany has warned of Belgrade's visa-free travel regime for some countries whose citizens use Serbia as a springboard to enter the EU.

Serbia, a candidate for eventual EU membership, lies on the so-called Balkan route used by immigrants heading towards Western Europe as they flee from war and poverty in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

Although the road is not as busy as it was during the European immigrant crisis in 2015, tens of thousands are still passing through the region each year.

Germany accepted over a million immigrants during the 2015 crisis, but that move left Europe's largest economy deeply divided. Doubts among some voters eventually resulted in the arrival of the far-right party ( AfD in parliament.

The European Commission's report on migration and asylum for 2022 published this month found that an increased <x0 number of people” was reaching through plane trips to Serbia due to its “visa-free regimes”. / REL