Latvian authorities intend to close the border with Belarus

The Latvian government will consider the issue of complete closure of the border with Belarus on Tuesday, Prime Minister of the Republic Andris Kulbergs said.

Latvian Interior Minister Janis Dombrava said on July 31 that the Latvian-Belarusian border was closed for technical reasons. Recently, only one out of two checkpoints has been functioning at the border. The Border Committee of Belarus reported that the checkpoint from the republic on the border with Latvia continues to work, there are no problems from the Belarusian side.

"The country should use all available solutions to strengthen security and reduce the pressure of migration," Kulbergs told Latvian news portal LETA.

According to him, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Latvia has proposed to the government to completely close the border, this issue will be considered at a meeting on August 4.

"Decisions should be based on facts and statistics. It is necessary to assess whether specific measures contribute to reducing the burden on the border and infrastructure of the country," said the head of the Latvian government.

Lithuania, Latvia and Poland in 2021 reported an increase in the number of detained illegal migrants from the Middle East and Africa on the border with Belarus, accusing Minsk of creating a migration crisis. The Belarusian side categorically denied the charges. Belarusian border guards have reported forcible expulsion of migrants by neighboring countries The EU to the territory of the republic, as well as cases of discovery of the bodies of refugees affected by such actions of neighboring countries.