Diplomacy can resolve crisis

Latvian Ambassador to NATO Maris Riekstins believes that tensions between Russia and Ukraine can still be solved by diplomacy, reports LETA.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has announced that the North Atlantic Council, which includes the ambassadors of all 28 NATO allies, will hold another extraordinary session on Ukraine today, March 4, following a request by Poland under article 4 of NATO’s founding Washington Treaty.

NATO’s efforts are aimed at Russia returning to talks and reasonable actions, explains Riekstins. The ambassador points out that NATO’s stance on the matter of Ukraine is very serious - the alliance has assessed Russia’s actions and offered potential solutions.

Ukraine is a close partner of NATO. However, Ukraine is not a member of NATO and cannot receive the alliance’s security guarantees. Today, the North Atlantic Council will analyze whether the developments in and around Ukraine constitute a threat to neighboring allied countries, says the ambassador.

Riekstins believes that the situation in Ukraine does not pose any direct threat to Latvia.