Belarus hosts around 160,000 visa-waiver travelers from Europe since 1 Jan 2026
Since 1 January 2026, Belarus has welcomed 159,906 travelers from 38 countries included in the visa-waiver program. The majority of travelers came from Lithuania, Latvia and Poland, BelTA learned from the State Border Committee of Belarus.
MFA: By closing the border with Belarus, Latvia aims to extract money from the EU
By closing the border with Belarus, Latvia is seeking to obtain extra funding from European structures, Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxim Ryzhenkov told Belarus 1 TV channel, BelTA has learned.
‘It will deal a heavy blow to the economy.’ Latvian carriers oppose closure of border with Belarus
The Latvian road carriers’ association Latvijas auto has opposed the government’s plans to close the Paternieki border crossing (adjacent to Grigorovshchina) on the border with Belarus, local media report.
’They think people won’t travel’. What Latvians are saying about border situation with Belarus
The only border checkpoint on the Latvia-Belarus border remains closed, Latvian television channel LSM reports. Over the weekend, LSM journalists visited the Latvian side of the border and spoke with frustrated drivers.
