It would not be effective to close only Latvia's border with Russia - PM Karins

RIGA - It would not be effective to close only Latvia's border with Russia, Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins (New Unity) told journalists Tuesday, adding that Europe needs a joint position on this issue. 

The prime minister said that in case Latvia closed its border with the aggressor state, traffic would still be flowing across Russia's borders with Latvia's northern and southern neighbor countries. The desired effect could only be achieved if whole Europe closed its borders to Russia. "This is what we have been and will keep working on," the prime minister said. 

Karins also noted that Latvia has already done a lot in terms of sanctions and has been calling on other, larger countries to implement the sanctions as extensively as Latvia. 

"We continue to work with our partners. But it is essential that the sanctions are applied by everyone, to make it impossible to dodge these sanctions," Karins stressed. 

Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics (New Unity) voiced a similar position on Facebook this week, arguing that a one-sided closure of Latvia's borders with Russia and Belarus without synchronous regional cooperation would be ineffective.

The minister indicated that other countries would be used for the transportation of people and cargo and the measure would fail to serve the intended purpose. It is also necessary to take into consideration Lithuania's obligations in the context of Kaliningrad transit, Rinkevics said.