Latvia extends state of emergency at Belarus border until February 2023

November 3, BPN. The Latvian government has extended the state of emergency at the border with Belarus for another three months until February 10, citing attempts by illegal migrants to enter the European Union via the Baltic states and Poland.

The state of emergency covers the municipalities of Ludza, Krāslava, Augšdaugava, and Daugavpils. Latvia declared it on August 10, 2021 over an influx of illegal migrants from Belarus and has been extending it several times since then.

To date, Latvia has built a 15-kilometer long permanent border fence and a 60-kilometer temporary fence at the shared border, the government’s press office reported. It also noted Latvia’s commitment to strengthening the external border of the EU by improving monitoring and protection against illegal migrants.

The migration crisis at the Belarusian-EU border dates back to the spring of 2021. It escalated on November 8, 2021, when thousands of migrants set up a camp near the Polish border.

The Baltic states and Poland accused Belarusian authorities of creating the trouble, while the latter blamed it on the West. Migration figures had dropped significantly by the time Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, but have risen more recently.