MOSCOW - The Russian State Duma has voted in favor of ratifying a proposed border treaty with Latvia.
The move that may finally conclude a question that has been on the political agenda ever since Latvia regained its independence in 1991.
Once the treaty is ratified, a slice of territory that belonged to the first independent Latvian state will officially be ceded to Russia. The territory contains the former Latvian town of Abrene (now Russian Pytalovo).
The ratification was supported by 350 votes to 57.
Latvia's constitution says that the republic's borders are established by international treaty, and the official position is that the 1920 borders are still in force. However, some 1,200 square kilometers of territory were transferred from the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic to Russia proper after WWII and a process of intense Russification was launched to purge the area of its Latvian character. As Russia has always refused to acknowledge that Latvia was illegally occupied by the Soviet Union, it claims the territory as its own.
Some nationalist groups within Latvia still demand the return of Abrene, but most of the population seems resigned to the fact that it probably needs to be sacrificed in order to normalise relations with Russia. Many Latvians who have crossed the border and visited Pytalovo acknowledge that Russification was so successful that little trace of its Latvian heritage remains.
Estonia is in a similar position regarding parts of its territory which were annexed by the Soviet Union, but had its own border treaty returned by Russian lawmakers for including references to "aggression by the Soviet Union" and "illegal incorporation." Latvia's treaty makes no such references.
Latvian Foreign Minister Artis Pabriks said that the vote is a step towards improving relations between the two countries, adding that it will promote Latvia's security in the long term.
Pabriks told the Baltic News Service that the decision was expected and that the border treaty procedure could be completed by early October.
"It gives us hopes that there will be an internationally recognized agreement, accepted by European Union (EU) members, on the state border, allowing [us] to fix the border according to all EU parameters," said the minister.
Ratification of the border treaty might also set grounds for opening new border crossing points and signing cooperation agreements, such as for protection of investments and double taxation, he added.
The treaty still has to be adopted by the Russian Federation Council, whose chairman Sergei Mironov told Latvian ambassador to Russia, Andris Teikmanis, on Tuesday that it would back ratification.
The Latvian parliament has already ratified the treaty. The new border will be fixed after both sides exchange their respective ratification documents.
Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet welcomed thedevelopment.
"I'm glad about the success of our neighbors," Paet said. "We hope that what has been achieved with Latvia willencourage Russia to take all the necessary steps on its part toward the enactment of the Estonian-Russian border agreement as well," Paet said.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Petras Vaitiekunas also congratulated his Latvian counterpart on the development.
Speaking with Pabriks over the phone, Vaitiekunas said he believed thatthe ratification of the treaty after the long and complicated negotiationswill strengthen stability in the region and will have a positive effect onthe relations between the European Union and Russia.
