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MFA slams Latvia's decision to ban entry for Belarus' passenger cars

MINSK, 15 July (BelTA) – The Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called Latvia’s decision to ban the entry of Belarus-registered passenger cars inhumane, Press Secretary of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Anatoly Glaz told BelTA.

“Unfortunately, this information is true. The Latvian authorities have indeed decided to ban the entry and import of vehicles with Belarusian number plates starting from 0:00 on 16 July 2024. This will hurt ordinary people, first of all, transnational families, people who visit their relatives living in the other country, as well as tourists with children and other types of travelers. Therefore, we view this step as inhumane,” said the spokesman.

According to Anatoly Glaz, this move does not make much practical sense, has no legal grounds, will lead to an unnecessary complication of humanitarian and cultural contacts between Latvia and Belarus, and will exacerbate mistrust.

“We regret Riga's yet another decision to opt for such uncivilized and undemocratic measures that are not aligned with its national interests. The entire responsibility for this lies with the Latvian side,” the press secretary emphasized.

Along with this, Anatoly Glaz noted that Belarus has no plans to take symmetrical measures against Latvian citizens: “Quite the opposite, we are open and interested in developing contacts with neighbors, including as part of Belarus' visa waiver program for Latvians.” 

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