Lithuanian, Estonian interior ministers discuss border security

VILNIIUS - Lithuanian Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas met his Estonian counterpart Igor Taro on Tuesday to discuss European Union external border security, illegal migration, hybrid threats and civil protection.

During the meeting in Vilnius, Katelynas presented the situation at the Lithuanian-Belarusian border. Since the onset of the illegal migration crisis in 2021, Lithuania has prevented more than 25,500 attempts by irregular migrants to cross the state border and enter the country.

According to the interior minister, while the situation on the border with Belarus has remained relatively stable in recent months, the threat of illegal migration persists.

The ministers also discussed secondary migration from Latvia. According to the ministry, Lithuanian officers have detained more than 1,450 irregular migrants arriving from Latvia this year.

Katelynas said that while Lithuania has deployed border guards to assist Latvia in protecting the European Union's external border, the primary responsibility for external border protection lies with each member state.

According to State Border Guard Service data, more than 8,000 migrants have attempted to enter Latvia this year, either being detained and returned to Belarus or turned back by Latvian border guards while still on the Belarusian side. The figure is nearly nine times higher than the number of attempts to enter Lithuania from Belarus.

The meeting also covered threats posed by drones and weather balloons, as well as preparations for Lithuania's presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2027.

According to the ministry, while drone incidents remain rare, the number of weather balloons used by smugglers has increased significantly in recent years. There has also been a rise in incidents involving unidentified flying objects posing risks to critical infrastructure and public safety. Lithuania aims to strengthen institutional capacity to detect and neutralise such objects and is seeking European Union funding for these measures.

"Lithuania and Estonia face the same security threats, particularly those of a hybrid nature. Therefore, our response must also be joint: we must exchange experience, strengthen border protection, increase institutional readiness, and speak with one voice in the European Union. The closer the cooperation between the Baltic states, the stronger the security architecture of the entire region and Europe," Katelynas said.

During the visit, the Estonian delegation also visited the Lithuanian-Belarusian border and the Emergency Response Centre. The delegation was briefed on Lithuania's border protection and emergency response capabilities. The ministry said the visit would facilitate the exchange of best practices and discussion of practical solutions to strengthen both countries' resilience to modern security challenges.

The ministry added that cooperation between Lithuania and Estonia in civil protection has continued to strengthen. In May, a delegation from the Estonian Rescue Board visited Lithuania to learn about the country's fire safety, fire prevention, major accident management and officer training systems.