Three National Armed Forces servicemen were recalled from Iraq for drinking alcohol. The troops were drinking at a military base near Divania on Nov. 11, according to army spokesman Uldis Davidovs. The armed forces have launched an internal probe that will be continued after the soldiers return to Latvia. Davidovs could not say how much alcohol the privates had drunk, nor how they obtained it. The troops were originally due back in Latvia at the end of December. The maximum punishment the three soldiers could face is discharge into the reserves or a termination of their service contracts.
Latvian and U.S. experts are scheduled to discuss lifting the U.S. visa regime in Washington D.C. next spring. The process has been hampered by Latvia's inability to meet requirements set by the United States. Latvian Foreign Ministry representative Atis Lots said that, in order to abolish the visa regime, the number of visa denials cannot exceed 3 percent of the total number of requests for two years in a row. U.S. authorities reject about 13 percent of visa requests from Latvian citizens. To improve the statistics, it is necessary to educate and inform the public, the ministry representative said.
As of Dec. 13, 2006, citizens will be able to travel to Turkey without visas and stay for up to 30 days per half-year. Diplomats and those with service passports, meanwhile, will be allowed to stay in Turkey for up to 90 days every six months, and Turkish diplomats and those with service passports will be able to enter Latvia several times, staying for up to 90 days per half-year. Turkish students traveling to Latvia for study abroad programs will be issued visas at the request of respective educational institutions. Latvian immigration authorities will not charge fees for visa requests from Turkish citizens. Until now, Latvians had to apply for visas to travel to Turkey.
The Foreign Ministry will consider sending Latvian diplomats to India for permanent work, after the Swedish government invited Latvian diplomats to work at the Swedish Embassy in India. Latvian Foreign Minister Artis Pabriks said that the ministry would have to decide whether diplomats will work in the Swedish Embassy's premises or if a Latvian Embassy needs be established in India. The decision will depend on Latvia's opportunities and needs in India and vice versa. Pabriks said that, next year, one or two diplomats might also go to the Finnish Embassy in Australia.
