Latvia to terminate agreement with Belarus on mutual visits of residents

  • 2022-09-13
  • LETA/TBT Staff

RIGA - The government on Tuesday decided to approve the Foreign Ministry's proposal to terminate an agreement with Belarus that has been facilitating mutual visits by residents of the two countries.

The Foreign Ministry indicated that the Latvian and Belarusian governments concluded  the agreement in 2008 to facilitate travel by residents of the two countries. The agreement was intended to develop friendly neighborly relations between Latvia and Belarus by promoting people-to-people contacts and easing visa rules.

Once the agreement is terminated, people will have to register their planned trips to the neighbor country ten days in advance, the  Foreign Ministry said. 

The ministry noted that in response to Belarus' support to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the involvement of Belarusian territory in Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, as well as an increased activity of Russian and Belarusian armed forces in Belarusian territory, Latvia has partly suspended the issuance of Schengen visas to Belarusian citizens. Considering significant security risks and a volatile security situation, the ministry also advises Latvian citizens against traveling to Belarus.