The Latvian Executive communicated this Saturday the closure of the only border crossing with Belarus that was still in operation, citing "technical reasons," without specifying for now how long it will remain out of service.
"The border between Latvia and Belarus is closed for technical reasons. We invite those who have not yet returned to Latvia to use other routes," said the Latvian Minister of the Interior, Janis Dombrava, in a message disseminated on social media.
In recent days, the Interior Minister had already urged Latvian citizens not to travel to Belarus or, if they are there, to return as soon as possible, since "the hybrid migration war" driven from Minsk causes transit between both States "to become difficult."
The border control located in the small town of Paternieki, in the south of the country, was until now the only open crossing, after the authorities of the Baltic State decided to close the rest of the posts in response to the migratory pressure, which they attribute to the Belarusian Executive.
According to data from the Ministry of the Interior of Latvia, with the arrival of good weather there has been a spike in attempts to cross irregularly from Belarusian territory, with up to 2,263 attempts recorded just in the month of June.