We cannot succumb to the migrant pressure from Belarus, otherwise the flow of migrants will not end - Levits

  • 2021-09-03
  • LETA/TBT Staff

RIGA - We cannot succumb to the migrant pressure from Belarus, otherwise the flow of migrants will not end, President Egils Levits told TV3 this morning.

Levits repeatedly emphasized that migrants are being exploited by Belarus in this hybrid war method against Latvia. For the time being, the Latvian Border Guard is successfully coping with the situation, the politician assessed.

The President noted that Latvia is explaining this situation to its allies, and he believed that there was a growing understanding among them that the situation should not be allowed to escalate, otherwise similar scenarios elsewhere on the borders of the European Union could be repeated.

As reported, border guards prevented 31 people from illegally entering Latvia from Belarus on Thursday, LETA was told at the State Border Guard.

Since August 10, a total of 858 persons have been stopped from crossing from Belarus into Latvia.

In the past 24 hours nobody was detained for illegally crossing the border.

Since a state of emergency was declared in regions at the Latvian-Belarusian border on August 11, 25 illegal immigrants have been allowed to enter Latvia for humanitarian reasons.

LETA also reported, taking into consideration the steeply increasing numbers of illegal immigrants trying to cross into Latvia from Belarus, the government has declared a state of emergency that will run from August 11 until November 10 in the following municipalities: Ludza Region, Kraslava Region, Augsdaugava Region, and the City of Daugavpils.