Latvia considers fully closing border with Belarus, says PM

Latvia is considering the complete closure of its border with Belarus, Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs told Latvian news agency LETA.

He noted that Latvia's Interior Ministry has proposed fully closing the border with Belarus, with the issue set to be discussed at a government meeting on August 4, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

"The country must use every available measure to strengthen security and reduce migration pressure," Kulbergs said.

However, the minister stressed that any decision must be based on facts and statistical data.

Latvia temporarily shut its sole remaining road border crossing with Belarus, Pāternieki, on the evening of July 31, 2026, citing technical failures in the checkpoint’s information systems, though officials had warned the previous day about risks from hybrid migration pressure. 

In the first seven months of 2026 alone, Latvian border guards prevented roughly 9,000 irregular crossing attempts from the Belarusian side, continuing a pattern of elevated activity that authorities describe as orchestrated hybrid pressure.

The government had already extended its enhanced border security regime along the eastern frontier through the end of 2026 in response to ongoing migration and security threats.

By Jeyhun Aghazada