Technical problems close Latvia Belarus border as drivers wait

Technical problems in information systems have closed the Pāternieki border crossing, the only crossing between Latvia and Belarus, LSM reported. Border control operations are currently impossible, officials said.

Interior Minister Jānis Dombrava of the National Alliance announced on Friday evening that the Latvia-Belarus border had been closed for technical reasons. Two days earlier, he had urged Latvian residents to abandon plans to travel to Belarus.

On Saturday, the minister and border guard officials declined to provide further comment.

The closure and calls to use alternative routes or avoid Belarus altogether have not stopped people from waiting at Pāternieki.

“We had no notification at all. Nobody said anything. We arrived yesterday, parked, and this morning they announced that the border was closed. But nobody knows how long it will be closed,” said Hardijs, a long-haul driver from Jūrmala.

Hardijs is transporting medicines made by the Grindeks company to Minsk. He said he could not change the route because of the nature of the cargo.

“We can cross only at this border crossing because our cargo is special. We cannot go through Lithuania or another crossing,” he said.

Another driver, Vojtehs, is also waiting with a shipment. He said his employer would decide whether he should continue waiting or return home.

“We are workers. We are waiting. We have a little food. How long will it take? I don’t know. I think we will wait until Monday and then perhaps go home. It will be as the bosses decide,” he said.

Driver Pavel from Kazakhstan said the road near the crossing was not suitable for a long wait. He said there were no toilets, cafés or drinking water, which was running out.