The Latvian government is considering the complete removal of sections of railway line leading into Russia, it was confirmed November 26th following the weekly official conversation between President Edgars Rinkēvičs and Prime Minister Evika Siliņa.
The government will analyze information about the possible removal of the railway line on the country's eastern border by the end of the year with input from the National Armed Forces (NBS) and coordination with Lithuania and Estonia will also be important.
Greater clarity about the removal of the railway line on the country's eastern border is expected at the beginning of next year, President Edgars Rinkēvičs said.
A tense situation on the country's eastern border will have to be expected for a long time to come, and removing the tracks is one of the possible solutions. This is also expected to be discussed among the presidents and prime ministers of the Baltic states.
"We cannot rule out any option for strengthening national defense and security, but such decisions must be made by determining both the timeframe and the scope of the work and assessing what this means for various socio-economic aspects," said Rinkēvičs who stressed that so far debates on social media about tearing up the tracks have involved "A lot of emotions, [but] little rationality,"
On Friday he planned to hear the armed forces' opinion on the matter but no in-depth discussion or decisions will take place before next year, he added, pointing to the government's commitment to consult and prepare an assessment by the end of this year.
"It is not good that there is a lack of details and clarity, which is why the public is being unnecessarily alarmed. Something is being said in Riga, but people in Latgale do not know [about it], concerns and misinformation are being created," said Rinkēvičs.
