On Wednesday, 22 February, the Minister for the Interior, Māris Kučinskis, met with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Estonia to the Republic of Latvia, Eerik Marmei, in Riga.
During the meeting, the sides discussed the geopolitical situation in the region, with an emphasis on the protection of the Eastern border and the prevention of illegal migration, as well as the provision of assistance to Ukraine and its people. The development of the civil protection system was also discussed.
M. Kučinskis stressed the importance of coordinated action in the current circumstances: without a common position and coordination between the Baltic States, as well as Poland and Finland, it would be impossible to respond so effectively to challenges such as hybrid attacks on the border with Belarus and the influx of Ukrainian refugees after the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine.
If even one country were to change its tactics in this area, softening them, thousands of these illegal migrants would arrive in Europe immediately, and that must not change. Clearly, we cannot equate refugees from war-torn Ukraine with organized illegal migration from Belarus. When assessing the material available to the Baltic border guards, it is clear that illegal migration is organised from the Belarusian side,” said the Minister of the Interior.
At the same time, it was pointed out that the competent authorities of Latvia are doing their utmost to support people who are forced to flee war-torn Ukraine.
As regards the civil protection system, M.Kučinskis said that one of the main priorities of his duties as Minister of the Interior was the establishment of a modern and efficient civil protection and crisis management system in Latvia, stressing that such a system should meet modern requirements and be oriented towards overcoming today’s challenges.
Cooperation between Latvia and Estonia in the field of home affairs fully reflects the nature of bilateral relations between the two countries: our services actively cooperate at bilateral and regional level, as well as within international organizations.
Prepared by:
Andrejs Vaivars
Advisor to the Minister for the Interior
Phone: +371 67829685
E-mail: andrejs.vaivars@iem.gov.lv