On Friday, 8 April, to discuss the current geopolitical situation, the Minister for Interior Ms Marija Golubeva and the State Secretary of the Ministry, Mr Dimitrijs Trofimovs, attended a meeting of Baltic Interior Ministers in Tallinn.
Ministers for the Interior of Estonia, Kristian Jaani, and the Minister for the Interior of Lithuania, Agne Bilotaite, as wel as Marija Golubeva discussed coordination of the Ukrainian war refugee flows, security situation in the region and on the external borders of the European Union.
“We must continue strengthening the security of the Baltic Sea region. In a coordinated effort to effectively implement the 5th EU sanctions package against Russia - the Baltic States’ border guards will restrict the movement of Russian and Belarusian transport operators. It is also important to act in a coordinated way to support Ukrainian war refugees. In addition, while the European Union’s refugee registration system is yet being developed, we have decided to regularly exchange data between the three Baltic States. Cooperation will help attain a robust overview of the situation and enable better coordination of the flow of Ukrainian civilians fleeing the war, and the assistance provided,” said the Minister.
The Ministers also discussed the future threats that Belarus could pose not only to the Baltic States, but also to the European Union generally, situation on the borders between the European Union and Belarus. Lithuania and Poland are currently experiencing an increase in illegal border crossings, while the Latvian-Belarusian border has not seen a single illegal crossing for several days. At the moment, however, border surveillance is intensified and the situation is constantly monitored. On 24 November 2021, Latvia completed the construction of 37 km of barbed wire fence on the Latvia-Belarus border, while the first priority sections of the 83.9 km of permanent border infrastructure will be constructed already this year.
During her visit Ms Marija Golubeva visited the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences. As previously announced, the Ministry of the Interior will strengthen law enforcement education and professional development by establishing a consortium of the Internal Security Academy between the Ministry of the Interior, the State Police College, Riga Stradiņš University and the University of Latvia. The Internal Security Academy is expected to enhance the quality of pre-trial investigations and facilitate adaptation to rapid technological change and the security situation.
Prepared by:
Linda Curika, Adviser to the Minister
26533953, linda.curika@iem.gov.lv