In recent statements, Foreign Minister Baiba Braže has firmly rejected EU-mandated migrant redistribution, declaring Latvia “will not accept new migrants” and emphasizing that the country is already bearing a disproportionate burden in securing the EU’s external borders. She highlighted that over 12,000 attempts at illegal border crossings were prevented in recent years, primarily along the Latvian–Belarusian border, and stressed that Latvia would not pay for or host relocated migrants.
These positions reflect broader anxieties in Latvian society, amplified by extreme rhetoric from some Muslim community leaders. In 2015, Ahmed Robert Klimovičs, a spokesperson for the Islamic Cultural Centre in Riga, claimed that Latvia would become an Islamic state within 50 years, citing demographic trends and the high fertility rate among Muslim families. His comments—though later clarified as advocating democratic change rather than violence—sparked national debate and concern.
Meanwhile, Latvian security officials have reported that the country’s Muslim community has been affected by radicalization trends, with several individuals expressing intentions to join extremist groups like the Islamic State. The Latvian Security Police has also noted that young Latvians are being recruited by international criminal networks to smuggle migrants into the EU, further fueling fears about security and national integrity.
American Buddhist Net 