Regarding the issue of dismantling railway tracks in the eastern border area, politicians should not get ahead of military experts in their public statements, former President Valdis Zatlers said on Friday at a conference presenting the results of the project “National Development Vision 2050: Public Expectations and Development Scenarios.”
He noted that politicians should not rush ahead with a topic that military experts have not yet debated among themselves. “Only when there is an answer from military experts should politicians decide whether to talk about it or not,” the former president said.
In Zatlers’ view, military experts should determine what real benefit there is in whether the tracks are there or not today, not only in the event of a future conflict.
“Therefore this discussion comes out looking very foolish” Zatlers said, adding that people perceive it the same way.
“You don’t have to be a major expert to understand that there’s not much point in this — today. Perhaps in the event of a conflict there might be, but tracks can be dismantled very quickly,” Zatlers said, noting that in Ukraine no one talks about track sabotage bringing major benefits — they repaired them very quickly.
As reported,
several ministries and security institutions have been instructed to prepare an assessment by the end of the year
on the potential impact on Latvia of dismantling tracks near the Russian border.
A meeting of the Military Council will take place today in Liepāja, where President Edgars Rinkēvičs will hear the National Armed Forces’ (NBS) position on the possible dismantling of railway tracks.
The President confirmed that he would take the opportunity to discuss this issue with the presidents of the Baltic states in early December in Riga.
Rinkēvičs noted that if the government completes the analysis by the end of the year and discusses it early next year, the matter will then be reviewed by the National Security Council, which includes representatives of both the government and the Saeima.
TV3’s programme Nekā personīga reported on Sunday that closed-door discussions have taken place in Latvia about the possibility of cutting railway tracks leading toward Russia. According to Latvian and foreign military analysts, the existence of this connection is a direct security risk. In an interview with Nekā personīga,
NBS representatives made it clear that the railway tracks and embankments along the Russian border must be dismantled
— the sooner, the better.
Military and economic analysts interviewed by the programme said that in their view, the existing railway links with Russia constitute a security threat. Therefore, dismantling these tracks should not be delayed.
Minister of Transport Atis Švinka (P) told the programme that the situation needs to be assessed, as dismantling the tracks leading toward Russia would completely halt Latvia’s transit business, including cargo arriving from Asia.
The Ministry of Defence told the programme that the NBS has counter-mobility plans that outline what must be done if a military threat arises. These plans are exercised together with the state-owned Latvijas dzelzceļš. Whether dismantling the tracks already now would strengthen security cannot be stated, as this information is classified.
International relations and defence researcher Colin Smith also told the LETA news agency that to strengthen Latvia’s military security, at least those unused Russian-gauge railway lines east of Daugavpils should be dismantled, as without railways Russia’s ability to conduct any invasion of Latvia would be significantly hindered.
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