The Estonian authorities have developed three action plans in case of a migration crisis, one of them implies the closure of the southern border with Latvia
Estonia is ready for a possible migration crisis at the border, similar to the one that has developed in Lithuania (the country previously declared a state of emergency due to the influx of illegal migrants from Belarus). This was stated by Interior Minister Kristjan Jaan, reports ERR.
According to the Interior Minister, the authorities have prepared three action plans that will be applied depending on the complexity of the situation. One of them is to close the external borders.
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“The Police and Border Guard Department, together with several partners, has been developing a plan for resolving the emergency situation for a long time in case people start to enter the Estonian state through the external border in large numbers and illegally (Estonia borders Russia in the east, Latvia in the south).& mdash; RBC)», & mdash; explained Jaan. He added that the authorities are ready to close the border with Latvia if the current situation is considered “the most extreme”. The minister did not specify the details of other plans.
Minister of Public Administration Jaak Aab said that the Estonian government has granted the Police and Border Guard Department the right to act in case of a crisis at the border. “It will not be possible to catch us by surprise with this. We have made all the necessary preparations; the relevant structures have analyzed all possible situations, ” he noted.
The number of illegal migrants arriving in Lithuania from the territory of Belarus increased this spring. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said earlier that in response to European sanctions due to the forced landing of a Ryanair plane in Minsk, his country will no longer help the EU in the fight against illegal migration. In early July, Vilnius declared a state of emergency.
The head of the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry, Gabrielius Landsbergis, accused Minsk that Belarus deliberately lets migrants through its border in order to put pressure on Lithuania due to the fact that Vilnius provides asylum to opposition-minded Belarusians. Lithuania also announced plans to build a wall on a particularly critical section of the border with a length of 30 km. Following Lithuania, Latvia also announced the strengthening of control at the border.
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