Latvia has tripled the number of patrols on the border with Belarus

The relentless tensions on the Belarusian-Lithuanian border are also causing Latvia to step up – the National Armed Forces have now been assigned to assist the border guard, as well as the European border guard agency Frontex is involved, reports TV3 News.

For several weeks now, neighboring Lithuania has been struggling with uncontrolled migration flows from Belarus. Taking into account also Latvia’s tense relations with Belarus, the Latvian State Border Guard and the National Guard also express their readiness to act if the same scenario is repeated on the eastern borders of our country.

Taking into account the critical situation on the Lithuanian border, Latvia has already requested assistance from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency “Frontex” several weeks ago. In total, our country requires the involvement of 24 Frontex specialists. So far, two experts have been sent to Latvia, as well as a stenciled patrol car. As of today, two more specialists from Finland will start working in Latvia within the framework of Frontex.

Guntis Pujāts, General, Chief of the State Border Guard

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“We are assessing what is happening next door, especially in our immediate neighborhood, and the situation in Lithuania is currently very tense. We have additionally attracted the NAF and applied separately to the Frontex agency, thus currently the resource has been significantly increased in Belarus. [robežas] we have attracted additional security from the Ventspils drone system for enhanced security of the Belarusian border. ”

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On 13 July, the State Border Guard, presenting the situation on the eastern border to the Head of Government and the Ministers of the Interior, demonstrated its capabilities in the fight against illegal border crossers. Although the readiness of the internal affairs structures is high, there are also weak points – the absence of a physical border with Belarus.

Guntis Pujāts, General, Chief of the State Border Guard

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“The biggest challenge, that there is still insufficient technical capacity for us to be able to fully monitor the Belarusian border, is to use our human resources service in many places, the biggest challenge is to make technical improvements as soon as possible, to build the Belarusian border.”

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If the border built on the Russian side is a success story for Latvia, then the situation on the Belarusian side is worse, so the Minister of the Interior points out that the government will have to decide quickly on allocating funding to strengthen this border.

The Lithuanian side, which did not have the highest level of security on the border with Belarus – trying to deal with the mass influx of refugees, is now in a state of urgency started building a barbed wire fence. Asked whether Latvia does not intend to do the same, Minister of the Interior Marija Golubeva (“For Development / For!”) Stated: “It is important for us to look for an engineering solution that also meets the requirements of the State Audit Office (SAO), as the SAO has several remarks. must be built to comply with all the principles of good governance, which is a certain challenge given the pressure of time. This is really one of the most important issues, if we talk about Latvia’s security, it is our external border, it is also the border of the European Union. ”

In a conversation with TV3 News today, the Prime Minister expressed his readiness to provide support in strengthening this border in the near future.

Krišjānis Kariņš, Prime Minister (“New Unity”)

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“Watching both of our eastern neighbors develop at the moment, it makes us vigilant as a country we are vigilant; we will continue to maintain their vigilance and strengthen our capabilities. I think that in the coming months we will take a number of decisions in government that will address exactly how and in what steps we will continue this strengthening work. ”

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Although the situation on the eastern borders of our country is stable for the time being, this stability is relative. Latvia must also prepare for the fact that the situation may worsen and illegal border crossings on the part of Belarus may become a mass phenomenon. This is acknowledged by both officials and those involved in border guarding, who also support Lithuanian colleagues to the best of their ability.