Russia, Belarus call for EU efforts to solve migrant crisis

MOSCOW, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko on Friday called on the European Union (EU) to cooperate with Minsk to resolve a months-long migrant crisis that has left more than 10 people dead.

During a phone conversation, Lukashenko informed Putin of Minsk's steps to de-escalate the situation and provide humanitarian assistance to the migrants, the Kremlin said in a statement.

Since August, thousands of migrants, most of them from war-torn countries in the Middle East, were stranded at the border between Belarus and its neighbors, seeking to enter the EU territory. However, more migrants arrived at the Belarusian side of the border with Poland earlier this month.

Clashes broke out last week between Polish soldiers using water cannons and migrants throwing stones. Similar tensions also occured on Belarus's borders with Latvia and Lithuania.

Putin and Lukashenko expressed "serious concern over the unacceptable, brutal actions" of the Polish border guards against the migrants, the statement said.

The EU has been blaming Belarus for the crisis, while Minsk has denied the accusation and said it is ready for talks.