WARSAW — Poland will maintain temporary border controls with Germany and Lithuania until Oct. 4 amid ongoing concerns about irregular migration, Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said Sunday.

The decision follows a high-level security meeting with provincial governors and border service officials. Kierwinski said the regulation has been submitted to the European Commission for formal notification.

He noted mounting pressure on Poland’s eastern frontier, saying that measures to block migration routes through Belarus and Russia have shifted migrant movement toward other parts of the European Union.

“The 98% tightness of our barrier means that the Belarusian and Russian services and illegal migration are moving to other sections,” Kierwinski said.

“Today, the main task, not only for us but also for our partners in the European Union, is to close, if I may use that word, the route to Lithuania and Latvia.”

Poland reinstated checks at its internal Schengen borders last year over migration and security concerns. The latest extension will keep the controls in place for another two months. — Agencies