{"id":198628,"date":"2026-08-04T22:45:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T19:45:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/198628\/"},"modified":"2026-08-04T22:45:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T19:45:18","slug":"latvia-reopens-border-with-belarus","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/198628\/","title":{"rendered":"Latvia reopens border with Belarus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

August 4, Pozirk.<\/em> <\/strong>Border guards have resumed checks to process vehicles entering Latvia from Belarus, Latvia\u2019s State Border Guard reported on Tuesday evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The technical problems affecting the operation of computer systems at the Patarnieki checkpoint have been partially solved and border inspection procedures for incoming traffic have been resumed, the agency said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Belarus\u2019 State Border Committee, 80 trucks bound for Latvia were staying at the Patarnieki checkpoint at 8 p.m. There were no cars or buses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last Saturday, Latvia suspended the operation of its only operating checkpoint at the border with Belarus, citing \u201ctechnical reasons\u201d linked to a computer system failure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Monday, LSM<\/em> reported that Latvia\u2019s interior ministry suggested closing the Paternieki border checkpoint to individuals and trucks indefinitely, arguing that irregular migration from Belarus constituted a threat to national security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs reportedly expressed opposition to the proposal. Kulbergs stressed that migrants try to enter Latvia through the border fence and not the Patarnieki-Hryharo\u016d\u0161\u010dyna crossing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Tuesday afternoon, LSM<\/em> reported that Latvia would reopen its border with Belarus later in the day instead of keeping it closed for a long period of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minsk dismissed Latvia\u2019s official explanation for border closure as \u201cblatantly unconvincing\u201d and threatened that Belarus may respond with \u201cretaliatory\u201d and \u201casymmetric\u201d measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The warning appeared to refer to the similar closure of the Belarusian-Lithuanian border in November 2025, to which Minsk retaliated by prohibiting more than 1,000 Lithuanian trucks from leaving Belarus. The trucks were held for more than four months, with authorities charging exorbitant parking fees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Latvia has seen an influx of irregular migrants from Belarus this year, registering 2,275 crossing attempts in July and 9,060 since January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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