Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda’s chief foreign policy adviser, Asta Skaisgirytė, said Tuesday that authorities should exhaust other options to curb irregular migration before introducing temporary border controls with Latvia.
Her comments came after Interior Minister-designate Martynas Katelynas told BNS he would not rule out temporary checks along the Lithuanian-Latvian border if other measures fail to stem secondary migration from Latvia.
“The new minister sees the problem and is proposing a solution, but we understand this would be a very strict measure,” Skaisgirytė told the radio Žinių Radijas. “Let’s first try every possible measure before taking this step. Perhaps other measures will work and such a decision will not be necessary.”
Katelynas has also said he would prefer to avoid introducing border controls but that they could become necessary if other efforts prove ineffective.
Skaisgirytė said secondary irregular migration from Latvia has become a more significant issue this year, arguing that migrants appear to find it “clearly easier” to cross Latvia’s border.
