The Latvian Cabinet of Ministers announced on Thursday its decision to suspend operation at the Ventuli and Pedeze crossing points along the border with Russia. The move comes as a direct response to Russia’s policy to allow Ukrainian passport holders to enter its territory from two selected points, one of those being the Vientuli crossing.
The newly proposed order titled “On Suspension of Operation of Border Crossing Points on the State Border of the Republic of Latvia – Russian Federation” detailed the suspension of these border crossing points from 16 October 2023. This decision was announced shortly after Russia informed the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs of its new policy regarding Ukrainian entry. Russia’s selected entry points comprise of the Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow and the Vientuli border crossing point along the Latvian-Russian border.
Vientuli harbors the smallest border control point along the border. The Latvian Cabinet expressed concerns over maintaining open borders under conditions that could significantly affect public order and pose a potential threat to national security. The specific reasons for closing the Pedeze crossing point, however, were not made clear.
Latvian Foreign Minister, Kriskanis Karins, distinctly condemned Russia’s policy, citing it as a tactic by Russia to create divisions among European Union (EU) member states sharing a border with it. Asserting that such behavior was bound to fail, Karins, echoed by the Latvian Cabinet, posited Russia’s actions as an attempt to divide the EU.
More details on this development are available in the original report on JURIST – News.