On 19 September, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the suspension of the operation of the Silene border crossing point, given the high number of cases of illegal and attempted crossings of the Latvian–Belarusian border observed in recent weeks, as well as the need to relocate resources to the “green” border.
The pressure of illegal immigration has tripled in a short time. So far, in September, the officials of the State Border Guard have prevented 1 773 attempts by persons to cross the Latvian–Belarusian border illegally, while in August a total of 1 615 attempts to cross the Latvian–Belarusian border illegally were prevented.
In order not to significantly affect freight transport, as well as urgently needed journeys related to continuous work, humanitarian reasons, force majeure, the Paternieki border crossing point continues to operate on the Latvian–Belarusian border.
The openly supported war by Belarus against Ukraine is seen as an additional risk factor and a possible motivation for Belarus to continue its efforts to destabilize the situation on its border with Latvia. Reducing the number of persons crossing the Latvian-Belarusian border also reduces the corresponding risks. It is therefore essential to ensure a single coordinated transnational response to such illegal border crossings in order to ensure equivalent border surveillance of the entire region with Belarus.
Prepared by:
Ministry of the Interior
Communication Department
e-mail: kn@iem.gov.lv