On November 4, the senior officials of the Ministry of the Interior met with representatives of the State Border Guard, the Nature Protection Board, the State Forest Service and border municipalities to discuss the situation and seek solutions to reduce the risk of injury to animals along the temporary fence at the Latvian-Belarusian border.
Specialists from the Nature Protection Board, the State Forest Service and the State Border Guard have surveyed the Latvian-Belarusian external border along the recently installed temporary fence and recommendations are already being prepared to reduce the risk of injury to animals.
At present, the security of the state border is paramount, and a temporary fence is currently the most effective solution that allows Latvia to avoid the hybrid attack organized by Belarus and the pressure of illegal migration. At the same time, the Ministry of the Interior is actively cooperating with the Nature Protection Board and the State Forest Service to find the most appropriate temporary solution to reduce the risk of injury to animals at the temporary fence. Also the Krāslava and Augšdaugava Municipalities have been invited to get involved and help solve this issue. The installation of technical equipment to repel animals, as well as other possible solutions are being evaluated.
The temporary barbed wire fence is a short-term emergency solution. The design and construction of permanent border infrastructure with all the necessary elements, including the possibility to ensure animal migration routes, will be started soon, similarly as on the Latvian-Russian border.
The Ministry of the Interior is urging residents to critically evaluate the authenticity of photos and videos published on social networks that show animals that have been injured at the temporary fence. The hybrid attack implemented by Belarus is still ongoing and the publications on the social media do not always reflect the actual situation.
Prepared by:
Linda Curika
Adviser to the Minister of the Interior on public relations