Estonia opens refurbished Narva border checkpoint with Russia

 An inauguration ceremony was held Monday to reopen the newly-refurbished Narva border checkpoint in northeastern Estonia with Russia for pedestrians and cars.

After works worth 7.5 million euros (8.13 million U.S. dollars) to enlarge the checkpoint to three times its original size, the Narva-1 terminal has now eight lanes for pedestrians, 12 lanes for cars and two separate lanes for buses, according to Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR).

The refurbishment will speed up border crossing procedures, help boost tourism and entrepreneurship in Ida-Viru county, the largest Russian language-dominated region in Estonia.

"Narva checkpoint is one of the most important inland connection routes between the EU and Russia," Estonian Minister of Internal Affairs Hanno Pevkur said.

"The new checkpoint is no doubt a prerequisite for regional growth," he continued, adding that the redevelopment is also of national importance.

Over 3.6 million people cross the checkpoint every year.