TALLINN, Feb 4 (BNS) - Minister of the Interior Igor Taro met with his Latvian colleague Rihards Kozlovskis on Wednesday to discuss cooperation in curbing cross-border crime, especially drug smuggling.

The interior ministers also discussed closing the Schengen area to former Russian combatants who fought against Ukraine, as well as promoting crisis preparedness and civil protection.

"This is a logical continuation of last summer's joint meeting of the Estonian and Latvian governments, so that we both have a common understanding of how much work the fight against drug trafficking and cross-border crime requires," said Minister of the Interior Igor Taro. "Of course, we cannot overlook the topics of crisis preparedness and civil protection, as we live as neighbors in a common security space and our number one security concern is the same - an aggressive Russia."

Taro added that we must defend the security of a democratic Europe, and to this end, it is crucial for more countries to add former combatants from Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine to the Schengen area 'blacklist'.

"In Estonia, we have taken the first step and established an entry ban for 261 former Russian combatants. This is just the beginning, however; we will add many times more names, and I hope that our partners - including Latvia - will join this initiative as soon as possible."

Latvian Minister of the Interior Rihards Kozlovskis said that today's visit to Valga and Valka once again highlighted the strong and reliable partnership between Estonia and Latvia in combating crime and ensuring public safety. "Our cooperation has always been effective. At the same time, we must continuously seek new and innovative ways to further strengthen our collaboration."

He added: "The initiatives discussed at today's meeting, including the development of volunteer policing and the strengthening of civil protection measures, require more attention than before. These steps reflect our shared responsibility in protecting our communities and our readiness to respond quickly to new challenges. Together, Estonia and Latvia remain dedicated to creating a safer and more secure future for their residents."

As part of the meeting, the interior ministers visited the rescue stations in both Valga and Valka. The meeting took place during a field work week for the Ministry of the Interior's leadership from February 2-4, during which the ministry's management met with municipal leaders and crisis committees from Otepaa, Torva, and Valga, visited professional and volunteer rescue stations, discussed amendments to the Weapons Act with the Valga County Hunters' Society, and visited the war museum in Valga.

Accompanying the Minister of the Interior in Valga County are the management of the Ministry of the Interior and the heads of the Police and Border Guard Board, the Rescue Board, the Emergency Response Center, the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences, the IT and Development Center of the Ministry of the Interior, and the Estonian Internal Security Service.