During an interview with local media, the Chief of the State Border Guard of Latvia, Guntis Pujāts, said that border crossing should be permitted only for motor vehicles. On the other hand, the authorities have not many any statement on the matter yet.

Latvia has two primary border crossing points with Belarus – Pāternieki and Silene border crossing points. In September 2023, the Latvia government decided to indefinitely close the Silene border crossing point due to irregular migration concerns.

Consequently, since then, the Pāternieki border crossing point has remained the only operational one for those wanting to cross the border from Belarus to Latvia and vice versa.

While the authorities are yet to discuss the partial closure of the Pāternieki border crossing point, Pujāts said that the measure could remain in place for around six months, Baltic News Network explains.

He also confirmed that the State Border Guard may also request the complete closure of this border crossing point following this weekend’s events.

Pāternieki Border Crossing Point Was Temporarily Closed Over the Weekend

Over the weekend, the Pāternieki border crossing point between Latvia and Belarus was closed.

As explained by the authorities, the border crossing was temporarily closed in an effort to prevent a possible surge in irregular border crossings.

Pujāts revealed that the border guard saw a group of people who looked like foreigners approaching the border and wanting to cross it illegally. He also noted that four immigrants had arrived at the border.

During interviews with these immigrants, Pujāts said that it was concluded that the influx could be even greater, and the authorities decided to close the Pāternieki border crossing point to prevent any possible escalation of events, LSM explains.

Soon after the situation was under control, the Pāternieki border crossing point was reopened on the evening of Sunday. As for the alleged potential offenders, the authorities said that they had left.

This is not the first time that Latvia decided to close a border crossing point immediately. There have been many instances in the past where the country’s authorities took such decisions to prevent any unwanted situation related to irregular migration.