An official response from Russia regarding delays in pension and benefit payments has not yet been received, reports the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) spokesperson Diāna Eglīte.
The MFA confirms that to obtain an explanation, the ministry summoned the chargé d’affaires of the Russian Embassy in Latvia. A note was submitted, demanding clarification on the reason for the payment delays. Additionally, the Latvian Embassy in Moscow has contacted the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding this issue.
“An official response from Russia has not been received at this time. However, during the discussion, the Russian representative acknowledged awareness of the problem and stated that possible solutions are being explored,” said Eglīte
It has already been reported that pension payments from Russia for January, February, and March of this year have not yet been made due to a lack of funds received from the Russian Pension and Social Insurance Fund.
As previously stated by the State Social Insurance Agency (VSAA), it distributes Russian pensions to individuals residing in Latvia who have been granted pensions under the bilateral agreement between the two countries on social security cooperation
This agreement, in effect since the 19th of January 2011, confirms Russia’s commitment to ensuring the payment of pensions and benefits it has granted, transferring the necessary funds to the Latvian State Treasury in the second month of each quarter
Since no payment lists have been received from Russia, the exact number of pensioners affected by this situation cannot be determined, according to VSAA. However, in the last quarter of the previous year, there were 9 700 Russian pension recipients in Latvia
In 2023, a similar situation occurred for the same reason, where the number of pension recipients was provided by Russia, but the necessary funds for pension payments were delayed. At that time, pension payments were delayed by two weeks. The Russian side claimed that the transfer had been made, but the funds had not reached VSAA. Consequently, a decision was made to repeat the transfer.
If the delay in Russian pension payments has caused recipients difficulties in covering urgent daily expenses, the Ministry of Welfare urges affected individuals to seek assistance from their local municipal social services