Finland to help Estonia intercept migrants, minister says

Estonia's Interior Minister Igor Taro announced that Finnish authorities will assist Estonian border guards and police in apprehending illegal migrants who enter via the Belarusian-Latvian border and attempt to reach the Nordic countries. The agreement covers ports and airports.

Over the last two weeks, more than 80 migrants have been detained in Estonia, believed to have crossed the EU border illegally from Belarus through Latvia. This is part of what authorities describe as a hybrid attack by the Minsk government. So far this year, 128 migrants have been detained. They have been found in hotels, the capital city centre, and near the port. Most are trying to get to Finland, as routes to Germany have become more difficult due to checks on Poland's border.

Taro said on Friday that Finnish officers can arrive within hours. He stressed the need for additional force to prevent migrants from continuing through Finland. If they reached Finland, it would signal that Estonia is a transit corridor, which the country wants to avoid at all costs.

According to Taro, the detained migrants will be sent back to Latvia under EU rules. Estonia will also send new rotations of border guards to reinforce Latvia's border with Belarus for two months. Identification of migrants and their origin will be done in Estonia, while further procedures take place in Latvia, avoiding duplication. Taro argued that illegal crossers from safe countries should not receive international protection in the EU.

As of Thursday, five smugglers had been caught, and this number is expected to rise. The day before, more than a dozen migrants were detained at a short-term rental in Tallinn's Nõmme district. The minister noted that smugglers use cheap hotels and private accommodation, and urged citizens to be vigilant. He called on residents to report groups of foreigners who appear lost and are clearly not tourists. Taro predicted a tense period for up to two months.