“The bodies of the Alliance, starting with its leadership, the general secretary, must respect and honor all the allies and the principles of the Alliance”, underlined the Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias in his statements after the meeting he had at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with its Latvian counterpart Edgars Rinkevics. Referring to […]
Tag: Latvia
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is hurting the Baltic countries’ relations with China
China’s refusal to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine played a role in Estonia’s decision to leave the 16+1 initiative, the Baltic country’s top diplomat said. “It was definitely a factor we had in mind when we made the decision. Before that, we consulted with a number of allies,” Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said in an […]
Latvia’s parliament labels Russia a ‘state sponsor of terrorism’
Latvia’s parliament on Thursday labeled Russia a “state sponsor of terrorism” over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and called on Western allies to impose tougher sanctions on the Kremlin to end the war. “Latvia recognizes Russia’s actions in Ukraine as targeted genocide against the Ukrainian people,” the Latvian parliament’s resolution said, adding that Western countries should […]
Gazprom stopped supplying natural gas to Latvia
LAST UPDATE: 10:56 Russia’s Gazprom said today it has stopped supplying natural gas to neighboring Latvia, accusing it of violating terms on receiving Russian gas, Reuters reported. Russia has already cut off gas supplies to Poland, Bulgaria, Finland, the Netherlands and Denmark, which have refused to pay for the gas under an order from President […]
Latvian energy companies are buying natural gas from Russia in euros, according to Latvijas Gaze
Latvian energy company Latvijas Gaze is currently buying natural gas from Russia and paying in euros instead of the rubles required when dealing with Russian gas giant Gazprom, the company said today. “We buy natural gas from Russia, but not from Gazprom. We get it from another provider,” a Latvijas Gaze spokesman told Reuters. “We […]
Latvia prohibits by law the import of natural gas from Russia
The import of natural gas from Russia to Latvia is now prohibited, with a law approved by the Latvian parliament on Thursday. The ban is part of a package of measures for Latvia to diversify its gas supply sources and build a strategic reserve. The ban on gas imports from Russia – as part of […]
Latvia: President Levits calls for increased defense spending and compulsory military service for all
Latvia may have to increase its defense spending and adopt the measure of compulsory military service for all its citizens, regardless of gender, in order to face potential threats from Russia, as the country’s president Egils Levits told Reuters. Latvia, a member of NATO and the European Union, plans to gradually increase its defense budget […]
Latvia: Mandatory military service again from next year
Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks announced on Tuesday that military service will become compulsory again, amid rising tensions with neighboring Russia and the war in Ukraine. “Latvia’s current military system has reached its limits. At the same time, we have no reason to believe that Russia will change its behavior,” Mr Pabriks explained to the […]
Russia’s neighbors are calling for reinforcements of NATO forces
Everything changed when Russia invaded Ukraine, and NATO’s defense strategy must now take into account the new security environment in eastern Europe. This is the coordinated message of the three Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, in view of the very important NATO summit in Madrid this week, as noted by CNBC Strengthening the defense […]
Latvia welcomes EU ban on most Russian oil imports
The Latvian Prime Minister welcomed the EU agreement to ban most Russian oil imports, noting that EU member states moved together for the sixth package of sanctions to deprive Moscow of the resources to wage its war against Ukraine. “We are moving as fast as we can together to make it more difficult for Russia […]