Latvia plans accommodation centers for possible influx of Ukrainian refugees

  • 2022-02-14
  • LETA/TBT Staff

RIGA - Latvia is planning to set up facilities in border areas for an emergency accommodation of possible Ukrainian refugees, LETA learned

Last Saturday, Interior Minister Marija Golubeva (Development/For) said on Twitter that the Ministry of the Interior has prepared a plan in case a large number of people arrived in Latvia from Ukraine. Ministries were asked to provide their comments on the plan by the end of the day. 

The interior minister's spokeswoman Linda Curika told LETA that the Ministry of the Interior is not planning one large refugee center but instead is looking at several possible locations and cooperation with the private sector. "It is important to ensure that people who have no relatives or accommodation possibilities in Latvia had somewhere to stay immediately after their arrival," said Curika. 

In the admission phase, Latvia would set up the accommodation centers near its eastern borders. The refugee centers would admit persons arriving in Latvia without documents and accommodation possibilities.

The Ministry of the Interior cannot project the exact number of refugees that might arrive in Latvia from Ukraine. Golubeva said on Latvian Radio last weekend that Latvia would already know how and where to accommodate up to 10,000 people, but Curika explained that this figure is neither a forecast nor a goal. 

Other ministries are currently reviewing the plan, with the position and support of the Ministries of Economics and Finance expected to be of special importance. There is no clarity year about the estimated costs of the refugee accommodation plan and related expenses.

The plan will have to be approved by the government and Saeima. 

As reported, Russia has massed some 100,000 troops along Ukraine's border, causing concerns about a new military campaign against this country. Many western countries have already urged their nationals to leave Ukraine.