RIGA, Oct 12 (LETA) - A temporary barbed wire fence will be built on the Latvian-Belarus border by the middle of November, according to the materials presented by the Interior Ministry at the Saeima public expenditure and audit committee meeting.

The total amount of the necessary barbed wire is 111 kilometers. The first 17 kilometers were delivered on October 7. By October 14, another 37 kilometers should be delivered, by October 22 - 36 kilometers, and in November - the remaining 21 kilometers. The total sum for the project reaches EUR 3,757,531.

The infrastructure on Latvia's externam border with Belarus should be completed by the end of 2023. In total, the border length to be built is 172.9 kilometers long, including a permanent fence is a stretch of 134 kilometers.

The available funding for 2022-2024 for a permanent infrastructure is EUR 2,072,400, while earmarked funding is EUR 27,833,721.

State Border Guard deputy head Juris Martukans said that the temporary barbed wire might serve as an additional element also for the permanent fence in the future.

As reported, taking into consideration the steeply increasing numbers of illegal immigrants trying to cross into Latvia from Belarus, the government has declared a state of emergency that will run from August 11 until November 10 in the following municipalities: Ludza Region, Kraslava Region, Augsdaugava Region, and the City of Daugavpils.