No one is closing the border - Estonian interior minister to Latvian ambassador

TALLINN - The border between Estonia and Latvia will not be closed, Estonian Minister of the Interior Lauri Laanemets told the Latvian ambassador on Monday.

"We were contacted this morning by Latvian ambassador Kristine Naseniece, who requested a meeting as soon as possible. The matter regarded confusing messages and ideas proposed by the minister of foreign affairs to restore border control on the Estonian-Latvian border. I affirmed to the ambassador that this was rather a political debate and that no one is closing the border," Laanemets said on social media.

The interior minister said that Estonia has good cooperation with the Latvian State Border Guard.

"We trust their professionalism and if we start making any actual plans, we will definitely inform our southern neighbors of it and engage in comprehensive cooperation," Laanemets said.

At a brief yet meaningful meeting, the Estonian interior minister and Latvian ambassador exchanged thoughts on assisting war refugees from Ukraine and on when and how help should be sought from other EU member states.