Latvia to keep Silene border crossing closed

February 7, Pozirk. The Latvian government has decided against reopening the Silene border checkpoint at the shared border with Belarus, its website says.

Initially, Latvia closed the checkpoint from September 19 to February 11, citing a sharp rise in illegal crossing attempts and internal security threats. The move left Paternieki (Hryharoŭščyna on the Belarusian side) as the only operating border crossing between the two countries.

In 2023, Latvia thwarted at least 13,863 illegal border crossing attempts by migrants from third countries.

On February 6, the Lithuanian commission in charge of national security suggested closing Lavoriškės (Katłoŭka) and Raigardas (Pryvałka) border crossings.

On August 18, Lithuania closed the Šumskas and Tverečius checkpoints at the border with Belarus, citing the lack of equipment for scanning truck trailers and security concerns.

Lithuania continues operating the Medininkai checkpoint at its border with Belarus, while Poland left only the Terespol border crossing open for passenger traffic.