Latvia is afraid of Africans from Belarus

The State Border Guard of Latvia has asked the government to partially close the only crossing on the border with Belarus. On Sunday, the “Paternieki” point (from the Belarusian side – “Grigorovshchina”) was already closing without warning. The Latvian side explained this by concerns about the accumulation of Africans on the Belarusian side. Meanwhile, the visa-free regime for EU citizens continues to operate in Belarus. Since January 1, 2025, 37,758 foreigners from 38 countries included in the visa-free list have arrived in Belarus.

The head of the State Border Guard (GPO) of Latvia, Guntis Puyats, said that he considers it advisable to close the border checkpoint “Paternieki” (from the Belarusian side – “Grigorovshchyna”) for pedestrians and cyclists. He hopes that the government of the country will make such a decision, and the restriction will be imposed for a period of six months. But if the flow of illegal migrants becomes critical, the GPO will insist on closing the point completely, including for cars.

“We have come to the conclusion that there is a high risk that the point could be used for mass entry of illegal migrants into Latvia,” explains Puyats.

The Latvian Ministry of Internal Affairs responded positively to the appeal. The country’s authorities intend to partially close the Paternieki border crossing (for pedestrians and cyclists), possibly as early as March 19. This is reported by the Latvian media. The immediate reason for these decisions was the incident that occurred at the border crossing on Sunday, as a result of which it was closed to crossings in both directions without prior notice. The Latvian authorities even installed special protective shields.

Later, the same Puyats explained that the reason for the temporary closure of the checkpoint was the approach of a group of people who were identified as migrants. Fearing the growth of this group and a possible conflict, the Latvian border guards decided to close the crossing.

Meanwhile, the BelTA news agency published a comment on this situation by the State Border Committee of Belarus. The agency claims: “Hostages of the situation, which was the result of the actions of the Latvian services, were people crossing the border on buses, cars, and cargo carriers. Among them were citizens of the European Union. The reason for the traffic jam was a group of Africans traveling to the European Union with valid documents. After crossing the Belarusian-Latvian border at a nearby checkpoint, ten foreigners were refused registration. The Latvian border patrol blocked the road in both directions with a metal fence and prevented foreigners trying to find out the reason for the refusal to enter the territory of the neighboring state.”

It is reported that the Belarusian border guards immediately responded to the traffic blockage and invited the Africans to return to the hospitable Belarusian land. But it wasn’t that simple. “Initially, foreign citizens who were in the Latvian territory did not agree to return to the Republic of Belarus. However, 6 hours later – at 20.00 – they left the territory of the European Union,” the CPC reports.

Surely the unfortunate migrants did not regret it in the end, because they were greeted with genuine cordiality.: “The Belarusian border guards provided the Africans with a rest room, gave them tea, and then organized transport to return to Belarus.”

The CPC states: “Despite the resolution of the situation, Latvia resumed the passage of transport only after more than two and a half hours. In total, the border remained closed for nine hours.”

It is not only the border guards in Latvia who advocate limiting contacts with Belarus. The other day, the Ministry of Education of this country proposed to ban its citizens from studying in a neighboring state. The Agency proposes to introduce a norm into the law on education that would exclude the possibility for Latvian citizens to receive education in Russia and Belarus. This offer is expected to apply to all types and levels of study.

However, the media of the Baltic Republic note that this proposal is perceived ambiguously in society. There are opinions that such a ban restricts opportunities for young people and may cause noticeable discontent. 

Against this unfriendly background, the CPC of Belarus reports that since the beginning of the year, 37,758 foreigners from 38 countries included in the visa-free list have already visited the republic. Most of them came from neighboring countries of Belarus–: Lithuania, Latvia and Poland. Since July 19, 2024, in addition to Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, the visa-free regime has been extended by Minsk “in order to further demonstrate openness and peacefulness, commitment to the principles of good neighborliness” to citizens of 35 more European countries. Alexander Lukashenko extended this regime until December 31, 2025 inclusive.