People walking on a bridge over the Narva River in Narva, Estonia, February 16, 2017. The photo was taken on February 16, 2017. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins
Reuters, November 17-The Estonian government convened 1,700 reserve soldiers on Wednesday for an unannounced exercise, which included installing a barbed wire barrier on the 40-kilometer border with Russia as the immigration crisis in nearby Belarus has increased.
The European Union accuses Belarus of transporting thousands of migrants from the Middle East and Africa and forcing them to enter the EU and NATO members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia in retaliation for sanctions already imposed on Minsk. Belarus denies deliberately provoking this crisis.
Russia’s close ally, Belarus’s EU neighbors, warned that the crisis could lead to military conflict and has declared a state of emergency and deployed troops near its borders.
Estonia has a similar geopolitical history to Lithuania and Latvia, although it has no borders with Belarus.
The Estonian government stated that the rapid exercise program will last until November 25 and is aimed at testing the rapid response capabilities of the national command system.
The Estonian police and border guards said in a statement that the reserve of welders will help install 40 kilometers of barbed wire along the Russian border, where the risk of illegally crossing the border is highest.
"What is happening in Poland, Lithuania and Latvia also requires strengthening the border infrastructure of Estonia," said police chief and border guard Elmar Vaher.
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