Estonia has enough space to house 2,000 refugees should Russia further invade Ukraine causing people to flee, Minister of Social Protection Signe Riisalo (Reform) said on Wednesday.
Last week, the Ministry of Defense said thousands of Ukrainians could flee to Estonia if the situation escalates.
Asked during a radio interview how many people Estonia could take in, Riisalo said: "While our usual readiness to receive applicants for international protection is 100, we have up to 2,000 places for emergencies."
She said it is not known how or where Ukrainians would go if war did break out or if Estonia would be viewed as a destination country. But the minister said the country is well prepared after the events of the migrant crisis on the Belarusian border last year and taking in people from Afghanistan.
Asked what would happen should 20,000 people arrive, Riisalo said it would depend if people were claiming asylum or arriving with visas. If it is the latter option, people may well be moving to live or stay with relatives who are already based in Estonia.
However, she said 20,000 people fleeing to Estonia is "unlikely". "But if they do, we will of course look for additional accommodation. And we are actively working on that," Riisalo said.
The minister said many people could arrive but not claim asylum. The EU and Ukraine also have a short-term visa waiver agreement in place.
There are already almost 30,000 Ukrainians living in Estonia and an additional 20,000 with temporary work visas, the minister said. Ukrainians are the biggest minority group after Russians.
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