National Security Committee chairman emphasizes importance of readiness of services and fencing for protection of border with Belarus

RIGA - Latvia's services are adequately prepared for the protection of the border with Belarus, and at the same time it is still necessary to build additional fencing to guard the border, the chairman of the Saeima National Security Committee (NDK) Maris Kucinskis (Greens/Farmers) told LETA.

Asked whether there was a possibility that in the spring, as the weather improved, Latvia might see new attempts by the Lukashenko regime to push even more people - hundreds or a few thousand - from other countries into Latvia, Kucinskis pointed out that there is a dictatorship in Belarus, where decisions are made unilaterally and it is not known what will come to the mind of its leader.

At the same time, the head of the NDK drew attention to the fact that previous attempts to force people into Latvia, Lithuania and Poland have created incomparably bigger problems in Belarus itself, where villages are full of foreigners and which require Belarus to spend money and other resources. Compared to the conditions in which migrants are forced to live in Belarus, the Latvian asylum seeker accommodation center Mucenieki can be assessed as a "paradise", the head of the NDK added.

At present, there is no information that the regime of the neighboring country is expecting a warmer period to further intensify the pushing of foreigners into Latvia, Kucinskis noted. The politician also pointed out that the Lukashenko regime tried to put pressure on the European Union (EU) to gain some concessions, but did not receive any.

It is positive that in joint exercises, including the preparation of the necessary technical equipment and action plan, the responsible services, including the Hone Guard and the State Border Guard, are adequately prepared for guarding the border. However, the physical strengthening of the border itself is lagging, so it is important to build more fencing on the border, Kucinskis said.

The politician said that Latvia is also prepared for the situation to escalate on a larger scale, but this would already be a broader hybrid war against the EU, in which more help could be received from the EU. Kucinskis also emphasized the importance of cooperation with Estonia, Lithuania and Poland in resolving the situation.