{"id":198423,"date":"2026-08-03T21:01:21","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T18:01:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/198423\/"},"modified":"2026-08-03T21:01:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T18:01:24","slug":"latvian-ministry-suggests-closing-border-with-belarus-over-irregular-migration","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/198423\/","title":{"rendered":"Latvian\u00a0ministry suggests closing\u00a0border with Belarus over irregular migration"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n (vni.lv)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

August 3, <\/strong>Pozirk<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong>.<\/strong> Latvia\u2019s interior ministry suggests closing its Paternieki checkpoint to individuals and trucks, arguing that irregular migration from Belarus constitutes a threat to national security, LSM <\/em>reported on Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ministry has submitted the proposal to the Cabinet of Ministers, which is expected to consider it promptly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ministry insists that the proposed measure is needed \u201cto guarantee the inviolability of the state, prevent threats to public order, create even more favorable conditions for the State Border Guard and other involved agencies to prevent illegal border crossings, and optimize the resources available to the border control agency amid the crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ministry accuses Belarus of allowing and encouraging undocumented third-country nationals to cross into Latvian territory, creating a security threat for Latvia and putting a strain on its resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On August 1, Latvia closed the last operating checkpoint at the border with Belarus, citing \u201ctechnical reasons\u201d reportedly linked to a computer system failure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minsk dismissed the explanation as \u201cblatantly unconvincing\u201d and threatened that Belarus may respond with \u201cretaliatory\u201d and \u201casymmetric\u201d measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The warning appeared to refer to the similar closure of the Belarusian-Lithuanian border in November 2025, to which Minsk retaliated by prohibiting more than 1,000 Lithuanian trucks from leaving Belarus. The trucks were held for more than four months, with authorities charging exorbitant parking fees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Latvia has seen an influx of irregular migrants from Belarus this year, registering 2,119 crossing attempts in the first four weeks of July and nearly 9,000 since January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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