Warsaw introduced border controls on the Polish-Lithuanian border because of Germany’s earlier decision to do so on its border with Poland, the Lithuanian president’s adviser says, calling it a fake solution to a problem that does not exist.
“Even if Latvia has problems, they are not of such a magnitude as to necessitate closing the borders. This is more of the same domino effect I mentioned rather than a real solution to a problem that does not exist,” Frederikas Jansonas told the radio Žinių Radijas on Tuesday.
Poland introduced border controls on its internal border with Lithuania on Monday. President Gitanas Nausėda has said that such restrictions in the Schengen area “are not very welcome”.
Poland has announced that it will randomly check vehicles at 13 border crossing points. Right now, additional controls are in place at three Lithuanian-Polish border crossing points: Budzisko-Kalvarija, Lazdijai-Ogrodniki and Mockava-Trakiszki.
Lithuanian Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovič said at the weekend that controls would be reinstated for a month, until August 5. However, Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak later said they would last longer.
Warsaw says border controls were introduced to stop secondary irregular migration of people who enter the EU from Belarus via Latvia and then travel westwards through Lithuania and Poland.
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