The information at the disposal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia indicates that the Russian Federation (RF) may have taken actions within the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) to target present and former Latvian officials who have participated in taking decisions aimed at condemning the RF’s aggression against Ukraine and reducing the influence of the RF on EU Member States.
End of last week, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provided assistance to a Latvian national whose detention the RF authorities had demanded during his visit to one of the CIS countries. According to the information available to the Foreign Ministry, this demand was not issued in accordance with generally accepted international practice and was politically motivated. Thanks to prompt action by the Latvian Foreign Service and the constructive cooperation of the particular CIS state, the Latvian national successfully returned to Latvia without further delay.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is carrying out an in-depth analysis of the particular case, but it can already be assumed that such measures on the part of the RF may be directed at not only Latvian officials, but also other undesirable present and former officials of EU Member States. It cannot be excluded that such requests are issued to not only CIS countries, but also other countries that Russia has good cooperation with.
The Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will also discuss this case within the framework of the EU and other international organisations in order to prevent further illegal, politically motivated actions by the RF authorities against EU nationals.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminds Latvian nationals to choose their travel destinations carefully, taking into account the historical ties of the countries and their cooperation with Russia, as well as the position of the said countries regarding Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
To those travelling outside Latvia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommends registering with the Consular Register via the latvija.lv portal, reading the travel warning for the specific country on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and making sure the traveller has contact information of the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the diplomatic mission of Latvia, if there is one in the relevant foreign country. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs would like to note that its abilities to provide emergency consular assistance in countries where Latvia has no diplomatic mission may be limited.