On 19 August, President Edgars Rinkēvičs chaired a meeting of the National Security Council at Riga Castle.
The Council assessed the current situation along Latvia’s eastern border, the dynamics of irregular migration pressure on the Latvia–Belarus border, acts of sabotage, as well as statistics concerning individuals detained for illegally transporting persons across the state border. In this context, the Council heard reports from the Minister of the Interior and the Chief of the State Border Guard, as well as the Minister of Defence and the Commander of the National Armed Forces, on the immediate measures implemented to normalise the situation and on inter-agency cooperation between the State Border Guard, the National Armed Forces, the State Police and state security institutions. The Council also assessed progress in strengthening the border over the longer term, including the development and implementation of technological solutions. The Council calls on all residents of Latvia, as well as foreign nationals, to bear in mind that the unlawful transportation of persons across the state border, including the transportation of irregular migrants, constitutes a criminal offence punishable under Latvian law.
The Council heard a report from the Minister of Foreign Affairs on diplomatic efforts to ensure information exchange and cooperation with Latvia’s allies within the European Union and NATO in order to counter hybrid activities along the eastern border.
In connection with the large-scale cyber incident affecting the information technology infrastructure of the “Road Traffic Safety Directorate” (CSDD), the Council heard reports from the Minister of Transport, the Chair of the CSDD Management Board, and the cyber incident response institution CERT.lv on the investigation into the incident, the analysis of the leaked data, and the risks to national security arising from the malicious use of the data that had been retrieved. The Council agreed that CSDD must assume responsibility for implementing adequate and regular security measures within its critical information and communications technology infrastructure and must immediately take measures to contain and prevent further cyber threats. The Council agreed on the measures to be undertaken by the Ministry of Transport to mitigate potential risks associated with data available through CSDD’s publicly accessible systems and to ensure the continuity of CSDD’s operations pending the appointment of a new CSDD council and management board.