Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Latvia’s Interior Ministry has proposed temporarily suspending visa issuance to Uzbek citizens. The ministry linked the initiative to several cases in which, according to its information, Uzbek citizens committed crimes after arriving in Latvia, including offences involving minors.
“We must act. Therefore, we propose suspending visa issuance to Uzbek citizens for a certain period and using this time to cooperate with the Uzbek side,” Latvian Interior Minister Jānis Dombrava said.
According to the Interior Ministry’s proposal, the potential restriction period would be used to establish information exchange with the Uzbek side and strengthen checks on citizens intending to visit Latvia.
At the same time, the proposal to suspend visa issuance to Uzbek citizens has not yet been submitted for consideration by the Cabinet of Ministers. Coalition partners did not support putting the issue on the agenda of the government meeting.
The Interior Ministry expects the initiative to be discussed at one of the next Cabinet of Ministers meetings.
The proposal comes against the backdrop of a broader Latvian government policy to tighten migration controls. In September, the Cabinet of Ministers approved an Interior Ministry plan containing more than 70 measures, including quotas for citizens of third countries and tighter controls over labor and student migration.
