Latvian foreign minister promises clarity on joining Lithuania's lawsuit against Belarus over migrant crisis soon

RIGA - Whether Latvia will join Lithuania's lawsuit against Belarus over the losses caused by the migrant crisis will become clear in the next few weeks, Foreign Minister Baiba Braze (New Unity) said Thursday in an interview on Latvian Radio.

The minister said that Latvia is in close contact with Lithuania to see whether bringing a case to the UN International Court of Justice (UN ICJ) in The Hague is the best way to tackle the migrant crisis. According to Braze, the UN ICJ has not yet decided whether it has jurisdiction over Lithuania's claim and whether the case will be accepted.

The foreign minister noted that during the worst period of the migrant crisis, Latvia, together with Lithuania, Poland and other countries, managed to change the situation. The European Union (EU) made it clear to airlines flying irregular migrants to Minsk what their actions will have consequences, and as a result they stopped transporting the migrants. Braze believes that this was the most effective way at the time to stop the instrumentalization of migrants by the Belarusian security authorities.

The minister admitted that the instrumentalization of migrants continues, but at a much smaller scale than before. Braze noted that Latvia has developed its border infrastructure, the border guards are much better equipped and they know exactly what is going on at the border.

Pressure on Belarus is being constantly exerted, but whether the lawsuit will change the way illegal migrants move across Belarusian territory is another question. The foreign minister stressed that measures are being taken on several levels, but Latvia's priority is to keep the country's border secure, to prevent illegal migrants from getting into Latvia, and if possible, to detain them.

As reported, Lithuania has taken Belarus to the International Court of Justice in The Hague over a migrant crisis triggered by the regime of Alexander Lukashenko, accusing it of violating international law, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

The case concerns alleged breaches of state obligations under the United Nations Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, the ministry said.

"Since 2021, Lithuania has been facing an unprecedented surge in illegal migration from Belarus. Evidence collected by Lithuanian authorities confirms the direct involvement of the Belarusian regime in organizing the flow of migrants," it said.

Latvia and Poland are experiencing similar migration pressures.