Estonia plans to send reinforcements to Latvia to help the country battle the mass illegal immigration coming from Belarus, as confirmed by Estonian Minister of the Interior Lauri Läänemets.
During a press-conference held after a meeting of the Estonian government, Läänemets said that in the past several weeks there have been many attempts to illegally enter Latvia from Belarus.
“On the one hand, Belarus is testing its neighbours’ abilities. On the other hand, these are hybrid attacks,” said the Estonian minister, adding that the situation is tense.
“Latvia requested Estonia to sent aid, and we decided to send our forces to help them on the border. The Police and Border Department is making preparations so that the 10 to 20-man unit under ESTPOL-8 is able to depart for Latvia and assist with keeping the border safe. They will also assist with deterrence,” said the Estonian minister.
Estonia is prepared to assist Latvia for as long as necessary. The country is prepared to ensure rotation of its units as well, said the minister.
On the 12th of September Lithuanian Deputy Minister of the Interior Arnoldas Abramavičius announced a plan, in accordance with which Lithuania will send 20 border guards to Latvia to assist their neighbour with the record-high influx of illegal migrants.
Considering the rapidly increasing hybrid threat level on the Latvian-Belarusian border, the State Border Guard has mobilised additional personnel to strengthen control over the border. The National Armed Forces and State Police provide assistance as well.
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