Blacklisted diplomat to carry on working

RIGA -- Uncertainty surrounds the precise status of a Russian diplomat based in Latvia following rumors that he had been either expelled from the country or included on the so-called 'Schengen blacklist' of individuals barred from entering the EU's Schengen border-free zone.

Latvia's TV3 commercial television reported on its Neka Personiga (Nothing Personal) investigative program on Dec. 30, that the first secretary of the Russian embassy in Riga, Anatoly Kogalov, had been asked to leave the country. The Latvian Foreign Ministry denied the news.

On Jan. 02 Latvian Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis has called reports of the expulsion of a Russian diplomat  "media rumors".

"Reports of the expulsion of a Russian diplomat are rumors spread by the Latvian media, and I do not see any reason to believe otherwise," Godmanis told journalists.

The Russian embassy responded sharply on Monday, with a representative of the diplomatic mission warning that the rumors might worsen relations between the two countries and called on the Latvian National Radio and Television Council (NRTVP) to assess the incident and punish those responsible for spreading the information.

Later, the Latvian Foreign Ministry confirmed that an unnamed Russian diplomat working in Latviahad been included on the Schengen blacklist but denied he had been expelled from the country.

The ministry's deputy state secretary Alda Vanaga told the Diena daily newspaper that the case with the Russian diplomat was "an extraordinary situation", explaining that the reasons for the blacklisting might be because of legal offenses or espionage.

The black list is a part of the Schengen information system, of which Latvia is a member. If any Schengen member state has blacklisted a person, the restrictions apply in all member states. The Russian diplomat has a Latvian visa, which is valid till the middle of the year, but he is forbidden to visit other Schengen countries.

Latvian Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins was sanguine about the affair. "If he has a valid Latvian visa, he may work," he said.