Rinkevics: Latvian president's invitation to Victory Day in Moscow should be considered

  • 2015-01-05
  • from wire reports, RIGA

In deciding whether Latvian President Andris Berzins should attend Russia's Victory Day celebrations in Moscow on May 9, the context of the invitation, as well as the fact that Latvia has become the presiding country of the Council of the European Union, ought to be taken into consideration, Latvia's Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics (Unity) said in an interview this morning on the TV programme 900 sekundes.

Rinkevics declined to answer whether he thought Berzins should visit Moscow for the May 9 celebrations, saying that he would like to discuss the matter with the president first.

"I would like to note that the wider context needs to be taken into account as well. We are the presiding country, and so any decision we take will be judged in this context. Of course, [..] at the moment, I would really like to see the EU take a joint position. Before any decisions are made, the EU ought to discuss this matter as well," Rinkevics said.

He added that several state leaders have already said they would not participate in the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow. They had every right to make such a decision, he said, but continued: "however, let us not forget that in this specific situation, we are also the presiding country of the EU. If course, recent events, I believe, have made it difficult for several state leaders to attend these events, and this, too, must be considered."

Russia is preparing for large-scale celebrations to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. 

When asked whether the president had plans to attend the ceremony, the president's press secretary Liga Krapane told LETA that "there is enough time to assess the course of situation and to eventually make a decision."

U.S. President Barack Obama has also been invited to the ceremony, however, he declined the invitation. Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite, who was also invited to Moscow, will not be attending the event either. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been invited to the event also.