Former Latvia Foreign Minister Says Riga Should Work To Restore Dialogue With Moscow

Janis Jurkans, former Latvian Foreign Minister, told Sputnik that Riga should not have broken off dialogue with Russia and should work to resume it, following the example of its Baltic neighbor, Estonia

RIGA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th October, 2019) Janis Jurkans, former Latvian Foreign Minister, told Sputnik that Riga should not have broken off dialogue with Russia and should work to resume it, following the example of its Baltic neighbor, Estonia.

During his UN General Assembly address in late September, recently elected Latvian President Egils Levits said Russia had allegedly exhibited "open disrespect" for international law and "brazenly" violated Ukraine's and Georgia's territorial integrity. Latvia has also openly supported EU sanctions against Moscow.

"While Egils Levits is Latvia's president, it is unlikely that he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. It is also unlikely that we will follow Estonia's example.

I think Latvia should not have broken off its dialogue with Russia and should resume it," Jurkans said.

In June, Latvia slammed the unconditional restoration of the Russian delegation's rights in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, accusing Russia of illegally annexing Crimea and interfering with the state affairs of Ukraine and Georgia, which Moscow denies.�

Meanwhile, Latvia's neighbor and fellow former Soviet Union member, Estonia, has been warming up to Moscow following years of strained relations between Russia and Baltic states. In April, Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid invited Putin to visit the city of Tartu for the 8th World Congress of Finno-Ugric Peoples to be held in June 2020.