Latvia may fail to accept required number of refugees – interior minister

RIGA, Jul 13, BNS - It is possible that Latvia would fail to accept the required number of refugees – 531 in two years, Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis said on the morning news program of the LNT commercial television.

He said that now Latvia was behind the schedule because it was expected to receive about 50 asylum seekers under the EU relocation scheme already in September last year.

The interior minister explained that the relocation process depended on Latvia’s capacity to provide asylum seekers with accommodations and social inclusion. Speaking about social inclusion of those, who have been granted the refugee status, he said their integration had been less successful than expected.

More asylum seekers may arrive in Latvia soon from Greece or Italy. Resettlement of asylum seekers from Turkey has been delayed by a Muslim festival, Kozlovskis said.

The second group of asylum seekers brought to Latvia is likely to get the refugee status soon but there are problems with finding housing for them as they are supposed to leave the asylum seeker center upon receiving the refugee status.

Riga newsroom, +371 6708 8611, zinas@bns.lv