Kulbergs rebukes Dombrava after Spain reacts to Ceuta letter

Spain has reacted sensitively to a letter from Latvian Interior Minister Jānis Dombrava concerning the migrant crisis in Ceuta, LSM reported. Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs told Dombrava that future communications with foreign countries must be coordinated with the Foreign Ministry.

Dombrava said he had written that the incident in Ceuta, where tens of thousands of people entered from Morocco, should not be viewed as an isolated event. He said the problem needed to be addressed at European Union level, the EU’s external borders needed stronger security, and he expressed solidarity with Spain.

“We said that we are ready to provide various types of technical support, if necessary at some point within the common solidarity mechanism,” Dombrava said. “At the same time, we indicated that these illegal immigrants must not be legalised. Many countries have also expressed the view that this creates broader risks to Schengen security.”

Dombrava said he had not received a response from Spain. He described the Spanish position at a meeting of interior ministers as positive or neutral towards the Baltic states.

However, Latvian Television received unofficial information from reliable sources that Spanish officials were unhappy with the letter. The sources said its tone was arrogant and that Spain had indicated behind closed doors that, while its soldiers were defending Latvia, Latvia had chosen to attack Spain at a time when Spanish forces were themselves facing a migrant assault.

Kulbergs said he had heard about the letter and praised Dombrava’s energy, initiative and work on border protection and national security.

“But sometimes this initiative goes too far. This is one of those cases when the matter should have been coordinated,” Kulbergs said.