Latvian citizens continue to travel to Russia despite repeatedly encountering problems, Foreign Minister Baiba Braže (New Unity) stated on Thursday during the Latvian Radio broadcast “Krustpunktā”.
She reminded listeners that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs urges people not to travel to either Russia or Belarus.
During the program, the Foreign Minister also addressed the functioning of the Latvian Embassy in Russia and the Russian Embassy in Latvia. She emphasized that the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations outlines what diplomats are permitted and not permitted to do. According to Braže, one of the functions of the Latvian Embassy in Russia is to lawfully gather information.
“Of course, it is important to understand our friends, but it is even more important to try to understand what is going on in the minds of our adversaries. […] Looking back at the 1930s and reading our envoys’ reports from Moscow and other cities, there were significant warnings about what was happening in the USSR, which perhaps were not taken into account in practical decision-making,” Braže said.
The Minister stressed that another major function of the Latvian Embassy is to provide consular services, as Latvian citizens living in Russia may need, for example, to renew documents or require assistance in crisis situations.
Braže rhetorically asked the journalists participating in the program whether Latvia should close its borders and live as the USSR once did—preventing anyone from travelling anywhere. In her view, if there is political will to act in such a manner, very specific decisions must be made on how that would be implemented. That is one possibility. Another option is to reduce travel to Russia. She added that there are other additional measures she would support, but these are political choices.
She acknowledged that Russia likely gathers information in Latvia as well. Braže pointed out that Russian citizens live in Latvia, and following the withdrawal of the Russian army, some who had retired while stationed here remained in the country.
The Minister also emphasized that the number of staff at both embassies has been reduced and that diplomatic relations between Latvia and Russia are no longer conducted at the ambassadorial level. However, she noted that other European countries are still represented in Moscow at the ambassador level, and it is important to keep that in mind.