Latvia, Lithuania, Poland to team up tackling border "hybrid attacks"

The Prime Minsters of Poland, Latvia and Lithuania published a joint declaration on February 25th outlining their "Commitment to Cooperation" on tackling hybrid threats along their borders with Russia and Belarus.

Noting "the increasing complexity of our security environment and the ongoing hybrid attacks by Russia and Belarus against our countries and the European Union, including through the respective segments of the external border of the EU" the trio said they "commit to intensifying cooperation to ensure border security and effectively prevent and combat irregular and instrumentalized migration, smuggling of migrants and goods, and other forms of organized crime, as well as to resist the instrumentalization of migration and other hybrid threats at the external borders of the European Union, including land, sea, and airspace." 

This cooperation will be "developed within the existing legal framework of bilateral co-operation and within the European Union," the declaration said, without giving any more specific details, though it did note that there would be "Strengthened trilateral contacts at the level of Prime Ministers’ national security advisers."

Donald Tusk, Evika Siliņa and Inga Ruginienė also said they would develop early warning systems and information sharing, including "analysis on the hybrid attacks by Russia and Belarus against our countries, as well as measures undertaken to address them."

There are various other mentions of "joint projects, exercises, or initiatives" and "mutually agreed actions as deemed necessary by the Participants, including on the possible measures in area of the management of external border crossing points," but again, the declaration is short on specifics and signals a more general willingness to work together than a concrete action plan. Indeed one of the final items listed is a willingness to "Develop action plans or roadmaps, as appropriate."

The full declaration can be read here.

Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa commented:

“Closer cooperation among the national security advisors of the three countries will contribute to strengthening the security of the external border of Latvia, Lithuania and Poland against various manifestations of the hybrid threat. This threat is common to all of us, and it requires coordination at the level of both responsible institutions and heads of state.”

Airis Rikveilis, National Security Advisor to Siliņa, said: “Military and civilian factors are closely intertwined in the security and protection of the external borders of the countries that have signed the statement, which requires even more active coordination not only at the national level, but also cooperation at the regional and international institutional levels. It is essential for Latvia to plan its actions together and, if necessary, synchronize them with its closest neighbors and natural allies, especially in the current threat situation.”