Narva mayor, Estonian Interior Ministry do not support shutdown of border with Russia
TALLINN. Jan 15 (Interfax) - Katri Raik, mayor of the Estonian city of Narva bordering Russia, has not supported the opposition Pro Patria party's call for shutting down the Estonian-Russian border.
"Sometimes I think that the Pro Patria party likes to tease Russian-speaking residents of Narva. Apparently, the desire to gain greater support in other regions of Estonia is the reason for this," the Rus.Delfi news website quoted Raik on Wednesday.
Only the government has the right to decide on closing the Estonian-Russian border at the proposal of the Police and Border Guard Board and security services, Raik said. "As far as I know, there are no critical threat assessments and plans to close the border," she said. About 90% of Narva residents are Russian-speaking persons.
It is important to know who crosses the border in Narva in order to have a better understanding of the border situation, Raik said. Most of the Estonians who cross the border are Narva residents. Over a third are residents of Finland, which has closed every land crossing on the border with Russia. People from Paris and Rome come to Narva to cross the European border.
The Pro Patria party submitted a bill to the Estonian parliament on January 13 suggesting that all checkpoints at the Estonian-Russian border be shut down.
"The Interior Ministry relies on the threat assessment. There is no threat assessment today to require the shutdown of the eastern border with Russia," head of the Estonian Interior Ministry's border and migration policy department Janek Magi said.
Estonian Interior Minister Lauri Laanemets said on December 29, 2024, that closing the border would not solve the security problem, "The border shutdown may affect local residents," he said.