RIGA - The prisoner swap between the West and Russia is not evidence of any positive changes in Russia or Belarus, said Andzejs Vilumsons, acting state secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in an interview on Latvian Television this morning.
The ministry's spokesman assessed that the exchange did not show that anything had changed in Russia or Belarus and, accordingly, there was no reason to believe that the risks posed by these countries to the West and their citizens would diminish. He reiterated his call on Latvian nationals not to travel to Russia and Belarus, as no one can ever be sure whether they will fall victim to a politically motivated provocation with unforeseeable consequences.
The swap includes "only a handful" of people wrongly imprisoned in Russia who should be freed, underlined Vilumsons, welcoming among other things the release of some Russian opposition leaders.
Assessing whether the people released by the West pose security risks for the West itself, Vilumsons noted that the spies handed over to Russia have been "exposed", which means that these people will never come to the West again and Russia itself is unlikely to include them in the active activities of the special services anymore.
Asked to assess what the exchange shows about the relations between the two countries, Vilumsons did not give a precise assessment, only noting that the negotiation process must have been difficult and details would probably not be provided.
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