On 30 August Latvia’s government reviewed the Interim Report on Estimates of Losses Caused by the Occupation by USSR and Further Action to File Compensation Claim Against Russia as the Heir to the USSR, as reported by Ministry of Justice.
The interim report details an outlook of methodology behind estimates put together the damages caused to demography, economy, finances, military industrial complex and environment by the occupation.
As Minister of Justice Jānis Bordāns mentioned during the government’s meeting, this is a matter of self-esteem for all three Baltic States.
«We must be masters in our country and take care of it,» said Bordāns.
«This includes studying and analysing history. In this case – the identification of crimes committed in fifty years of occupation and calculation and compensation of losses caused then,» stressed the minister.
The committee continues compiling information from 70 studies and 62 examinations. It is planned that in March 2023 the government will be presented the final report regarding losses caused by the occupation committed by USSR.
Information from the final report will be used to put together compensation request for its future submission to international law institutions.
According to chief researcher of Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences, associate professor Gatis Krūmiņš –
the current geopolitical situation is especially favourable to Latvia to initiate legal procedures needed to demand compensation of losses caused by the occupation.
He also stressed that cooperation between all three Baltic States is important for this effort.
«Russia’s actions in Ukraine have opened the eyes of many people around the world. I believe one important condition to recover losses is close cooperation of all three Baltic States and cohesion on a political level.»