"In order to implement the sanctions imposed by the European Union (EU) against Russia in the most effective way and reduce the possibilities for circumventing them, Latvia, together with other EU Member States in the region, advocated for the alignment of sanctions targeting Russia and Belarus," said the MFA.
"Belarus has so far been widely used to circumvent EU sanctions imposed against Russia, thus helping Russia to continue imports of sanctioned goods through Belarus. In circumvention of EU sanctions, cars from the EU were imported to Russia, and brought from Russia to Europe via Belarus.
"Given the involvement of Belarus in Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, as well as to prevent the circumvention of sanctions, Latvia and other like-minded EU countries have been working actively to align sanctions against Russia and Belarus. This past 30 June, EU Member States adopted the 8th sanctions package against Belarus, which includes restrictions previously imposed on Russia, including the entry ban into the EU for passenger vehicles registered in Belarus.
"At the same time, Latvia stands up for, and will continue to support and provide the necessary assistance to Belarusian civil society and democratic forces, including by applying the instruments provided for in laws and regulations to address specific exceptional situations," explained the MFA.
Passenger cars registered in Belarus that entered the EU territory before July 16 will be allowed to return, but will not then be re-admitted across the EU's external border in Latvia. The entry of cars registered in Belarus has already been prohibited by Estonia and Finland in addition to Latvia, while Lithuania and Poland are planning to introduce similar measures.
The Ministry also repeated a plea for Latvian residents not to visit Belarus where they "can be subject to provocations on the part of Belarusian authorities, falsely accused of violating the Belarusian law and arrested as a result."
According to the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, four Latvian nationals have been detained in Belarus this year and 31 have been detained since 2022. Due to the lack of rule of law in Belarus, Latvia’s possibilities of rendering assistance to such persons are very limited, the Ministry noted.
