On 17th and 18th August, 2026, Frontex Contingent 7 representatives, including the Contingent 7 Commander Christos Voutskoglou, visited regional units of the State Border Guard of Latvia responsible for sea border surveillance.
The purpose of the visit was to familiarize with the operational area of the joint operation “Baltic sea 2026” coordinated by the Frontex, to ensure direct communication with the Frontex Standing Corps experts deployed in regional units of the State Border Guard, to assess the operational situation, to identify support needs and to facilitate effective coordination between the parties involved in the framework of joint operation.
During the visit the Frontex representatives visited regional units of the SBG Ventspils board in Ventspils and Riga, as well as visited the State Border Guard Headquarters, where a meeting was held with the Chief of the State Border Guard General Guntis Pujāts.
During the visit, a productive discussion took place, the importance of close operational cooperation and the support to be provided by Frontex was highlighted, in view of the high migratory and security risks at the EU’s external land borders with the Russian Federation and Belarus, as well as the security situation in the Baltic Sea region.
The Contingent 7 representatives appreciated the contribution of the State Border Guard to the protection of the Europe’s external border and participation in various international activities, as well as they were very satisfied that Latvia is one of the Member States of the European Union which ensured the deployment of Frontex Standing Corps experts on State Border Guard’s vessels.