Lithuania’s newly appointed Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas does not rule out the possibility of reintroducing border controls with Latvia, as the number of migrants entering Lithuania from Belarus via Latvia continues to grow.
Last week, Polish authorities detained 27 migrants who were trying to illegally cross the border. They had arrived from Latvia via Lithuania in a van, and this is just one of many similar cases.
Poland has been carrying out border checks on its borders with Lithuania and Germany for a year, and Katelynas said that Lithuania could also decide to reintroduce border controls on its border with Latvia. The new Interior Minister pointed out that this would, of course, be an extreme option, but if there is no other way to control the flow of migrants, it will have to be used. However, he hopes that it will not go that far. According to Katelinas, whether border controls will be introduced depends on the flow of migrants and the capacity of the Lithuanian border guard. The minister said that the issue will be discussed with the border guards to understand how long the organization will be able to cope.
Border guards have indicated that one of the main problems is the slow return of migrants to Latvia, despite the obligation to take back persons who have crossed the border illegally. Antanas Montvydas, deputy commander of the Lithuanian State Border Guard, said that there are currently 544 migrants in Lithuania who have not been returned. Latvia has confirmed that these persons will be taken back, but no agreement has been reached on a specific date when this could happen.
Checks on the border with Latvia have already been stepped up, and almost 120 migrants were detained in June,
but officials have indicated that there are not enough resources to maintain border control on a permanent basis. Montvydas pointed out that there are no human resources dedicated to monitoring the internal borders of the European Union, which means that border guards would have to be transferred from other borders and other agencies should be asked for help.
Latvia has built a fence on its borders with Russia and Belarus, but officials have indicated that the system still has significant shortcomings. Almost 8,000 migrants have tried to enter Latvia from Belarus this year, almost nine times more than have tried to enter Lithuania. Montvydas said that in practice Latvia’s border infrastructure is not yet fully developed – physical barriers are unfinished, and surveillance systems are still functioning inadequately.
Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, the leader of the Lithuanian Liberal Movement, has spoken out against the introduction of border controls, indicating that Lithuania should first establish a dialogue with Latvia.
Read the full article in English here: https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/2990295/nuclear-option-lithuania-mulls-introducing-border-checks-with-latvia
Read also: Belarus-fled Roslikovs reveals when he plans to return to Latvia
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