Estonia to close pedestrian border crossing point in Narva for reconstruction works

TALLINN - The Estonian Ministry of the Interior is closing the Narva 2 border crossing point, which is for citizens of Estonia and Russia only, at the end of November due to reconstruction works in the Narva border cordon.

Minister of the Interior Lauri Laanemets said that with the reconstruction works in the Narva border cordon about to start, temporary work spaces are needed for officials.

"The buildings of the Narva 2 border point, meant for inspecting the people who cross the border on foot, are well suited for this," the minister said.

Laanemets said that now is a good time to reconstruct the buildings in the cordon and to close the pedestrian bridge connecting Narva and Ivangorod because the number of border crossings has declined to such an extent recently due to sanctions and other measures that keeping several border inspection points in operation at the same time is pointless.

"People can still cross the border between the two states through the main border crossing point and the Police and Border Guard Board will be able to put the human resource from the Narva 2 border point to better use elsewhere," the minister said.

Laanemets noted that the decision does not stem from any security reasons.

"Like we've said earlier, this bridge does not constitute a security risk because it is only used by Estonian citizens and people holding the Estonian residence permit. In addition, an analysis and consultations with the local governments confirmed that the closure of the bridge would not significantly disrupt the day-to-day life of local residents," he said.

The Narva 2 border point is scheduled to be closed in the last week of November. When the bridge reopens, it will be fully automated.