Moscow, Nov 13 (IANS): It is the Western countries themselves that caused current migrant crisis on the borders between Belarus and the European Union (EU), Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday.

The Western countries fought many years in Iraq and Afghanistan, and economically, high social benefits are attracting migrants to the EU countries, Putin said in an interview with a Russian TV programme, Xinhua news agency reported.

He stressed that Russia has nothing to do with the crisis and Russian airlines did not fly the migrants there.

Since earlier this month, thousands of refugees from the Middle East and Asia have arrived at the Belarusian side of the border in an attempt to enter Poland and then Germany to seek asylum.

Poland has put troops on high alert along the border.

Similar tensions also appear on the Belarus-Latvia and Belarus-Lithuania borders.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has threatened to cut off the Yamal-Europe natural gas pipeline if the EU countries close the borders with Belarus.