Latvia agrees to extra 526 refugees under EU quota plan

(RIGA) - The Latvian government on Thursday voted to take in an extra 526 refugees under the European Union's quota plan to resettle asylum-seekers among the bloc's 28 members.

The Baltic state's Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma announced the decision a day after President Raimonds Vejonis issued a decree asking the government to spell out its stand on Europe's record migrant crisis.

The nation of two million people previously agreed to take in only 250 refugees.

Latvia is part of the EU's eastern flank, whose countries are largely homogenous in religion, race and ethnicity and have taken the strongest stance against welcoming migrants.

The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia have staunchly rejected the compulsory quota system proposed by the European Commission to relocate 160,000 refugees -- many of whom fled conflicts in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics warned Tuesday that failure to show solidarity could have consequences in the EU and NATO for Latvia, which is reliant on other countries to patrol its airspace.