OREANDA-NEWS. In connection with the increase in illegal migration to the European Union through Belarus, Latvian President Egils Levits called on Europeans to show greater participation in border protection. «It is important that we send a clear signal: we will not allow ourselves to be blackmailed. The external border of Europe must be protected. It would be desirable to have more participation of the EU Agency for External Border Security Frontex», Levits said on Thursday, September 9, in an interview with the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung newspaper.

According to him, the migrants coming through Belarus are mostly not refugees, but people who just want to live in Europe. For most of them, the Baltic States and Poland are only intermediate stops on the way to Germany.

Commenting on the situation in Afghanistan after the seizure of power in this country by the radical Islamist movement «Taliban», the President of Latvia pointed out that the acceptance as refugees of all those who worked for Western countries and because of this feels a threat to their security is a matter of humanity. But, Levits notes, it is unacceptable to repeat the situation of 2015, when tens of thousands of illegal migrants poured into Europe for a short time.

Therefore, Europe should actively cooperate with the neighboring countries of Afghanistan on refugee issues and support them financially. «In the end, it will be fair and meets the European interests», the President of Latvia said.