Latvia, Russia urge closer ties at meeting

Latvian officials do not support the dismantling of the Soviet-era Victory Monument in Riga, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics has said.

Asked to comment on how he views Latvian Justice Minister Janis Bordans’ initiative to dismantle the Victory Monument, Rinkevics said that this initiative has not come from the minister, but is a private initiative submitted by a group of residents, reports LETA.

It follows after more than 11,000 signatures were collected demanding that the Soviet era Victory Monument be torn down.

Anti-Victory Monument activists say the area in Pardaugava, Riga is not the Soviet Army’s Victory Square, but Latvia’s Victory Square, where the last largest National Song Festival was held. They’ve called for plans to reconstruct the victory square after work was halted during World War Two.

Rinkevics told Russian media during a Moscow state visit on Nov. 21: “The Latvian president, prime minister and I have clearly expressed our point of view on this matter. We do not support the dismantling of the monument for two reasons. First of all, this would create tension within society. Second of all, this would be in contradiction to the agreement signed between Latvia and Russia in 1994.”

The foreign minister was also quizzed on the issue of statelessness, where around 300,000 Latvian residents are considered non-citizens. He said: “The Latvian Foreign Ministry defends the rights of its citizens, as well as non-citizens. At the same time, Latvia and Estonia are currently in talks with the EU to allow non-citizens the right to travel without a visa within the Schengen area. We have also been having successful talks with the United Arab Emirates for visa-free travel, which includes non-citizens.”

Rinkevis also urged Russian officials to grant access to archives so Latvians could find information of the remains of relatives who passed away durin Soviet occupation. He said: ''It is important for the Latvian people to find out what happened to victims of the Soviet regime, so to honor their memories. Such a step would be a very positive one in relations between the two countries,'' 

During the visit, Rinkevics also held talks with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov to discuss EU-Russia cooperation and security issues, including better border crossing plans.

The sixth meeting of the Latvia-Russia Intergovernmental Commission for Economic, Scientific and Technical, Humanitarian, and Cultural Cooperation was also held where key agreements on border crossing and aviation search and rescue plans were signed.