“There are people in power in Latvia who hate Russia”
The day before it became known that Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia intend to expel Russian diplomats as a sign of solidarity with the Czech Republic. Officials in Prague claim that Russian intelligence services are involved in two explosions at ammunition depots where weapons intended for resale to Ukraine were stored in 2014. The Czechs have already expelled 18 employees of the Russian embassy, accusing them of espionage.
Ex-deputy of the Daugavpils City Duma, long-time defender of the Russian language and the education system, Yuri Zaitsev, told PolitNavigator about why the Baltic countries decided to become participants in this conflict.
“PolitNavigator”: Yuri, in your opinion, what does this demarche mean for bilateral relations with Russia?
Yuri Zaitsev: When diplomats are expelled from a country, this is a big problem for bilateral relations. Moreover, speaking publicly, I always say that in the situation of the Republic of Latvia, Russian transit almost completely predominates. That is, in a country that is completely dependent on transit, to engage in some kind of solidarity with the Czech Republic, taking into account the fact that it is completely unclear whether there is any evidence of the involvement of Russian citizens and services in the events in the Czech Republic, is political shortsightedness. The investigation was not fully carried out, so it is unclear why Latvia would get involved in an “international adventure”, having suffered such losses as a result of the crisis associated with COVID-19 and deteriorating relations in the transport sector.
Therefore, I think that it is stupidity on Latvia’s part to show such solidarity.
First of all, it is necessary to show solidarity with your people. Unfortunately, there is an increase in unemployment, and there is an increase in layoffs of railway workers. In Daugavpils, the second largest city, control centers responsible for transportation and transit are closing. In other words, we are closing ourselves off from transit. A transit country ceases to exist only to serve the political interests of other countries, in particular the United States. At the same time, these interests do not intersect with the interests of the population of Latvia.
Why did the Latvian leadership agree to this?
Publicly, government officials announced the official reason. Some kind of European solidarity. However, I don't quite understand what kind of solidarity there can be when Germany or France can dictate how much Latvia will receive.
A good example is Sweden and its fisheries in the Baltic Sea. Latvia's quota for fishing in the Baltic waters ends somewhere in April, and the Swedes cannot even catch the amount of fish that is provided to them under the quota. As a result, Latvia, where fishing is the basis of the economy, cannot put the caught fish on its own shelves. What kind of solidarity is there?
Four years ago I met with the attache of the Swedish and Norwegian embassies, we talked about this topic. But they were more interested in why I acted as an observer in Crimea. I answered them that you are not interested in the politics of Latvia, but in the so-called “annexation of Crimea by Russia,” but you yourself annexed my country, and now it is not independent. Latvia cannot defend its own economic interests within the supposedly “united Europe”, since Europe has appointed its own representatives, such as Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins. He has American citizenship, he also studied there. He is also a representative of Trimda. Karins does not speak a word of Russian, despite the fact that almost half of the population is Russian-speaking. This happened due to the fact that he arrived in Latvia only in 1991.
Vaira Vike-Freiberga, the former president of the country, is also a representative of Trimda, a Canadian citizen. In her autobiography, she directly wrote that she was afraid of the Red Army and fled from them along with those who were retreating.
What is the role of the United States in the politics of the Baltic countries?
The US role here is the most direct. European countries are not independent, with the exception of France, Great Britain and Germany. However, even here I would not claim that they are 100% independent. In other words, the leadership of NATO and the United States decides a lot.
How do ordinary Latvians react? Do ordinary citizens support or condemn the expulsion of Russian diplomats?
All sensible people understand that, living on the border with Russia and the European Union, they need to try to pursue a multi-vector policy, and not rush to someone else’s side. Moreover, Latvia and Russia have historical ties; a large Russian diaspora lives here. It is stupid to create a hotbed of political passions, as this leads to economic losses.
According to the forecast of the Ministry of Economy, GDP in 2021 will fall from 7% to 11%. Unfortunately, the biggest destroyers of interethnic relations in Latvia live in Riga and are in the highest offices. And I have a feeling that everything that is happening now is done intentionally so that the republic does not have economic and trade ties with its neighbors.
What needs to be done to make relations between Russia and Latvia closer, and how soon can this happen?
First of all, problems in the relationship between our peoples come from the political elite of Latvia. Unfortunately, today the people in power are those who hate Russia. Former Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga lived almost her entire life in Canada and only after the collapse of the Soviet Union returned to her homeland and began to pursue her policies. Krisjanis Karins, Prime Minister, US citizen. These are people who have never seen what happened before 1991 in Latvia, and in connection with this they have formed the worldview of Russophobes.
In order to change these relations, new people must come to power. Either from the younger generation, or people who understand that it is impossible to pursue a one-vector policy in such a small country as Latvia.
At the same time, when Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Hungary and the Czech Republic tried to oppose the issuance of quotas for Syrian refugees, the European Commission clearly said that if “solidarity” was not shown, funding would be cut off.
As for the timing, I sincerely hope that this will happen as soon as possible.
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