50 land guards will be involved in the surveillance of the Latvian-Belarusian border / Article

The State Border Guard has asked the Ministry of Defense to provide support to 50 national guards for more intensive surveillance of the border with Belarus. Minister of Defense Artis Pabriks confirmed that border guards will receive additional forces.

In an interview with Latvian Radio “Labrīt”, Pujāts said that the situation on the border with Belarus is currently very calm, but it has been guarded more closely since the end of May. So far, three incidents have been recorded in which two offenders have been detained and one person has sought asylum.

However, risks and tensions are growing. That is why Pujāts has appealed to the Commander of the National Armed Forces and the Minister of Defense to call on the National Guards to provide support for more intensive border surveillance, as well as to have more resources available to work with offenders. For this purpose, about 50 additional personnel are needed to double the patrol intensity.

The Minister of Defense stated that the armed forces were already burdened with various additional duties, but that the required 50 or so national guards could be provided.

“As we have not yet modernized the Latvian-Belarusian border, it means that more responsibility lies with human resources. In this case, it is patrolling and helping border guards, because the border guards lack human resources,” said Pabriks.

The head of the border guard pointed out the risks that in Latvia – similarly to Lithuania – the number of violators could increase. “We are Lithuania’s neighbor, and at any time we anticipate that the situation in Latvia may also become very tense. Therefore, we act proactively, contacting our partners in a timely manner, and do not wait for us to let the problem go,” Pujāts explained.

The State Border Guard has developed an action plan in case the number of border violators increases significantly.

If the situation becomes similar to Lithuania, a state of emergency could be declared.

Pujāts admitted that the border in Latvia is worse equipped than in Lithuania.

The situation was discussed behind closed doors by the government on Tuesday.

“We understand that the Belarusian state is greatly facilitating this migration to Lithuania at the moment, and the potential threat is also to the Latvian border, so we must be prepared for more migrants from various third countries to appear here,” Pabriks said.

“We are probably in a better geographical position at the moment, because neither Latvia nor, I am sure, Lithuania is a destination country. Our countries are mainly used to get to Germany or another European Union member state. Therefore, our geographical location does not currently [nelegālo migrāciju], but we see risks that the situation may change, “said Pujat.

CONTEXT:

Number of migrants wanting from Belarus illegal entry into Lithuania, is growing every week – the Latvian Border Guard has received such signals from colleagues in Lithuania. In the first half of the year, more than 800 migrants were detained on the Lithuanian-Belarusian border. In comparison, five have been detained on the Latvian-Belarusian border.

Events on the Lithuanian-Belarusian border also call attention to the Latvian border guard. From July 1, also on the Latvian border Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, is up and runningresponding to a request for assistance. This is the first time that experts have been admitted to Latvia for border surveillance.

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