RIGA, April 28 (LETA) - The pressure of illegal migration organized by Belarus on the Latvian border is expected to be about as high this year as last year, Guntis Pujats, chief of the State Border Guard, said in an interview with Latvian Television on Tuesday.

Pujats said that after a harsh and relatively calm winter, in April, there is already constant pressure from illegal migrants attempting to cross the Latvian border, so he does not expect a calm summer and estimates that this year will be quite stressful in terms of illegal migration, with trends similar to last year's.

The Border Guard chief noted that the conflict in the Middle East could increase the number of illegal migrants coming to Latvia from this region, as the State Border Guard has information that people are being recruited intentionally to be forced into Europe via Russia and Belarus.

Pujats reiterated that, overall, illegal migration business is highly organized, with organized crime groups operating in cooperation with Belarusian officials. These migrants do not aim to enter Latvia as a safe country to claim asylum, but are trying to enter the EU undetected, mainly with the aim of reaching Germany.

This year, 18 migrant smugglers have been caught in Latvia: ten of them foreigners and eight Latvian nationals.

As regards infrastructure, the technological equipment of Latvia's eastern border still needs to be completed, Pujats said. This work should be completed by the end of the year, increasing the technological capacity of Latvian authorities to detect border violations.