Latvian politician: We are being turned into a “forward NATO trench”
NATO is using the former Soviet Baltic republics as a springboard for aggressive actions.
Chairman of the Socialist Party of Latvia (SPL) Vladimir Frolov spoke about this in an interview with PolitNavigator.
PolitNavigator: SPL works in quite difficult conditions. Is pressure felt from the authorities, given the rabid anti-communism and nationalism elevated to the rank of ideology? How can you characterize the position of the SPL in the current political situation in Latvia?
Vladimir Frolov: The end of 2021 drew a line under the 30-year period of life of Latvian society in the conditions of the restoration of state independence and the restoration of bourgeois power.
Our party was officially registered in 1994, when the Communist Party and the propaganda of its ideology were already banned. By this time (since August 1991), the first secretary of the Communist Party of Latvia, Alfred Rubiks, was in prison on charges of actions aimed at the violent overthrow of the state power of the Republic of Latvia. And the restored bourgeois republic was ruled by former comrades in the party of A. Rubiks, who was sitting behind bars. With the usual enthusiasm, the recent party-Komsomol “elite” destroyed the remnants of the Soviet way of life and created a class of owners through the rapid privatization of everything and everyone from the highly developed industrial, agricultural and communal heritage of the Latvian SSR.
The cost of the privatized objects was deliberately underestimated, according to experts, by at least 12,5 times. The population of the republic almost instantly lost the lion's share of what until recently served as a support for the majority in life - jobs, usual social guarantees, confidence in the well-being of their families. In just three years of restored independence, only 1991% remained of Latvia's 49,7 GDP level.
325 thousand people lost their jobs. Starting from the same 1991 to the present, there has been a continuous process of the population mortality exceeding the birth rate. In the past year, statistics have already shown a twofold excess of Latvian deaths over births. This type of population decline is complemented by mass labor emigration to the countries of “old Europe”. At the same time, economic ties with closest partners – Russia and Belarus – have been practically reduced to nothing. Interethnic relations have been purposefully destroyed. The Russian-speaking population of the republic, which made up 1989% of the population in 47, was deprived of education for their children in their native language. Due to the fully conscious policy of the authorities, the Latvian and Russian-speaking communities are strictly divided in their opportunities for self-realization in a number of areas. The bright pages of the common history and achievements of a multinational people are brutally denigrated.
Vladimir Frolov.
What is listed only very briefly and superficially reflects part of the “achievements” of the policies of the Latvian authorities over the last thirty years. Therefore, there is nothing strange in the fact that since the creation of our party, its position has been based on acute rejection and consistent criticism of the course pursued by the authorities. It is still very difficult to influence it in order to change it. The authorities manage, through outright manipulation, to maintain strong disunity among the population. A recent survey showed that only 19% of Latvians are interested in and have a good idea of what is happening in politics. Many still have a long way to go before they realize the need to actively seek change. This is what our party is working on.
PolitNavigator: Did the adoption of a resolution in the European Parliament equating the USSR and Nazi Germany strengthen the positions of revanchist and Nazi forces?
Vladimir Frolov: The European Parliament resolution “On the importance of historical memory for the future of Europe” undoubtedly became another “bullet” in the information war between fundamentally different positions in relation to the causes, course and results of the Second World War. The appearance of this resolution did not come as a surprise to those who are not blind to the obvious similarities in the composition of today's European Union and the loyal satellites of the Third Reich, which provided it with their military and industrial potential in a grueling battle with the Soviet Union and its coalition partners.
The position of the Latvian authorities on this issue is openly revanchist. It became this way, to a large extent, under the influence of the descendants of the national diaspora, who had consolidated their power, formed from those who fled to the West at the end of the war for ideological reasons, or out of fear of retribution for collaborating with the occupiers. Of course, the European Parliament resolution had an inspiring effect on them. And the authorities are not going to hide this. Moreover, this interpretation of events became one of the ideological foundations of the ruling policy. Although the main incentive for it still remains the financial donation of Europe, for the sake of which any ideas and projects coming from there will be supported, despite their obvious contradiction to the objective interests of the majority of Latvian society.
PolitNavigator: Are there currently any facts of persecution or infringement of the Russian population and national minorities (non-citizens) in the Baltic states?
Vladimir Frolov: The decision to transfer schools of national minorities to teaching only in the state language was made by the highest authorities of Latvian government. With this decision, the ruling politicians, who like to emphasize their strong commitment to the highest principles of democracy, have boldly crossed out the right of at least a third of taxpayers and voters to receive a quality education for their children, based on the same family and national values as for the Latvian part of the population of Latvia.
Such a decision cannot be called either wise or far-sighted. Its negative consequences for the multinational Latvian society are obvious and inevitable. But there are no limits to what is acceptable for the politicians ruling in Latvia if the question is about maintaining power in their hands. Therefore, education reform was needed in order to cover up the inevitable discord in society caused by it, the brazen robbery of the entire country through various scams and frauds and the further destruction of quite successful sectors of the economy, such as, for example, the transit and banking sectors until recently. The Socialist Party of Latvia fully shares the indignation of the parent community and expresses solidarity with the protests.
PolitNavigator: How militarized is Latvia now, taking into account its NATO membership? What is the position of the Socialist Party on this issue?
Vladimir Frolov: According to data provided on the Global Firepower website, the National Armed Forces of Latvia took 97th place in the world top armed forces of the planet. In total, it included 140 countries. The authorities of our country do not consider this achievement outstanding. On the contrary, this information will undoubtedly be used by the Latvian Ministry of Defense to strengthen its argument about the need to increase military spending. Since the mantra “Russia is about to attack,” repeated year after year, has already noticeably lost its novelty.
Recently, the press service of the Latvian Ministry of Defense reported that from 2023 the country plans to produce its own armored vehicles. Over the next couple of years, it is planned to increase the number of professional soldiers and land guards (militia), as well as invest a significant amount in the development of the infrastructure of the largest military bases and training grounds.
The Ministry of Defense is actively buying land from the population, which in the future can simply be leased to senior NATO partners.
At the same time, it is no longer necessary to complain about the paucity of funding for the Latvian military, unlike doctors or teachers. The dynamics of increasing the republic's military budget cannot be compared with any other industry. Let’s compare, if in 2001 Latvia spent 68 million euros (0,9% of GDP) on military needs, then in the coming year, 2022, it is expected to spend a total of 757,17 million euros, which is 49,35 million more than in the past year. The 2% of GDP required by NATO was achieved back in 2018.
The position of our party, to formulate it briefly, is the unacceptability of turning Latvia into a “forward NATO trench” on the eastern border of the European Union. We stand for the demilitarization of the Baltic region and real disarmament throughout the world.
PolitNavigator: The SPL joined the Coalition against bacteriological weapons along with other parties. Do you regard the numerous military biological laboratories of the Pentagon that have appeared in the post-Soviet space and throughout the world as unique bases?
Vladimir Frolov: We are very concerned about the spread of American military biological laboratories across the territories of the former republics of the Soviet Union. The very fact that the United States has moved such high-risk objects to foreign territories away from its borders cannot but cause concern. Already recorded cases of pathogenic infections near such facilities only add to the concerns.
In addition, a number of outbreaks of social instability that we are seeing in countries where there are already American military-biological facilities greatly increase the risks of leaks and the spread of contaminations and infections that are dangerous to people, animals and other natural objects. The dire possible consequences of this are now especially clear to society in connection with the current pandemic of the Covid-19 virus.
Due to these considerations, our party readily accepted the offer to join the founders of the Coalition for the Elimination of Military Biological Laboratories. We consider it important and necessary to actively promote the goals of the Coalition, expand its composition and increase the pressure of international public opinion for the complete elimination of dangerous military-biological research.
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