Estonia sends border guards to Latvia as migration pressure rises on EU's eastern frontier

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Estonia sends border guards to Latvia as migration pressure rises on EU's eastern frontier
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Lithuania, Estonia discuss EU border security as migrant crossings from Belarus top 25,500 since 2021
about 14 hours agoContinuation

Estonia sends border guards to Latvia as migration pressure rises on EU's eastern frontier

Current story

Lithuania, Estonia discuss EU border security as migrant crossings from Belarus top 25,500 since 2021

about 14 hours ago

Continuation

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Lithuanian Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas met with his Estonian counterpart Igor Taro on Tuesday to discuss European Union external border security, illegal migration, hybrid threats, and civil protection. During the meeting in Vilnius, Katelynas presented the situation at the Lithuanian-Belarusian border, highlighting that Lithuania has prevented more than 25,500 attempts by irregular migrants to cross the state border since 2021. Meanwhile, Estonia has decided to send additional police and border guard forces to Latvia to strengthen the EU's external border amid increasing migration pressure.

The situation on the border with Belarus has remained relatively stable in recent months, but the threat of illegal migration persists, according to Katelynas. The ministers also discussed secondary migration from Latvia, with Lithuanian officers detaining more than 1,450 irregular migrants arriving from Latvia this year. Katelynas emphasized that while Lithuania has deployed border guards to assist Latvia, the primary responsibility for external border protection lies with each member state.

Estonia's decision to send additional border guards to Latvia comes after several dozen illegal migrants who entered the country through Belarus and Latvia were detained in Estonia in recent days. Estonian Interior Minister Igor Taro described the situation at the Latvian-Belarusian border as very serious, stating that the Belarusian regime is deliberately sending migrants into the forest and providing them with tools to overcome obstacles on Latvia's external state border.

Since the onset of the illegal migration crisis in 2021, Lithuania has prevented more than 25,500 attempts by irregular migrants to cross the state border and enter the country. According to State Border Guard Service data, more than 8,000 migrants have attempted to enter Latvia this year, either being detained and returned to Belarus or turned back by Latvian border guards while still on the Belarusian side. This figure is nearly nine times higher than the number of attempts to enter Lithuania from Belarus.

The meeting also covered threats posed by drones and weather balloons, as well as preparations for Lithuania's presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2027. According to the ministry, while drone incidents remain rare, the number of weather balloons used by smugglers has increased significantly in recent years. There has also been a rise in incidents involving unidentified flying objects posing risks to critical infrastructure and public safety. Lithuania aims to strengthen institutional capacity to detect and neutralize such objects and is seeking European Union funding for these measures.

In a separate meeting, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys met with his Philippine counterpart Theresa Lazaro on Friday to discuss bilateral economic cooperation in high-value-added sectors, as well as cybersecurity, energy, and defense. Budrys emphasized Lithuania's interest in deepening ties with the Philippines and stressed the importance of a rules-based international order. He also reaffirmed Lithuania's support for the 2016 arbitral ruling on the South China Sea.

Lithuanian border guards have found another unfinished tunnel believed to have been intended for migrants to enter the country from Belarus, the State Border Guard Service (VSAT) said on Wednesday. The tunnel was discovered in the Varėna district in the southeastern part of the country, with border guards detecting ground vibrations indicating possible digging of an underground passage from the Belarusian side.

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Minister: Estonia sends extra border guards to Latvia as Belarus drives migrant surge Estonia will send additional police and border guard forces to Latvia to strengthen the European Unions external border. The decision came after several dozen illegal migrants who entered the country through Belarus and Latvia were detained in Estonia in recent days.

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