Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus on Latvia's Closure of the Border with Belarus

Utterly unconvincing are references to a “technical malfunction” at Latvia's Paternieki border checkpoint, particularly in the light of statements by drivers themselves that they had been instructed to turn back following written orders by Latvia's Minister of the Interior, Mr. Dombrovs.

It is evident that the alleged technical failure is merely the latest link in the ongoing chain of attempts to instrumentalize the issue of the border. The fact that the decision to effectively close the crossing on an emergency basis was taken by Interior Minister Janis Dombrovs, who also heads one of Latvia’s political parties, leaves little doubt as to the electoral motivation behind that cynical move on the eve of the parliamentary elections scheduled for October 3, 2026.

The Minister's recent calls urging Latvian citizens to refrain from traveling to Belarus follow the same logic. This comes amid the significant interest shown by Latvians in visiting our country.

Most striking of all is that, in the pursuit of political gain, the authorities in Riga have yet again forgotten about ordinary people. No one bothered to notify citizens in advance, effectively turning them into pawns in a political game. The situation mirrors the cavalier practices used by the Lithuanian authorities in late 2025, when the border was similarly closed without prior warning under a far-fetched pretext. Moreover, similar irresponsible actions have inflicted tangible damage on international trade by disrupting transit routes between the European Union and China, as well as the countries of Central Asia, while also undermining Latvia’s own economic interests.

In this regard, it would not be without merit for the competent Latvian authorities to conduct their own investigation to determine where the actual failure occurred – in their information systems or in the political bias of their leadership. It is telling that no such “technical problems” are non-existent at the Latvian-Russian border, where traffic has continued uninterrupted.

We regard this incident as yet another violation of the much-vaunted by the Baltic States “European values”. Once again, the freedom of movement of citizens has been sacrificed to serve short-term domestic political considerations. Even if technical malfunctions did in fact occur, it is doubtful that this level of technological resilience was what Latvia had in mind when it joined the European Union.

In response to that unfriendly step, the Belarusian side reserves the right to take responsive measures with regard to Latvia, including measures of an asymmetric nature, in order to safeguard the national interests of Belarus and its citizens. Full responsibility for the consequences of such decisions rests with the official authorities in Riga.

Print version