In the midst of the global economic crisis, Latvian authorities are forced to watch the outflow of profits as a result of their unfriendly policy towards Russia
For many years the Baltic States have pursued a Russophobic course in order to please Western elites. Despite this, Latvia was outraged that Russia did not agree to 94% of the requested amount of coal. The cargo was supposed to pass through the republic’s ports, but less than three hundred of the nearly 5,000 pullouts were agreed. In November, coal shipments stopped altogether.
Then, forgetting his Russophobia, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgar Rinkevich urged Russia to “separate” politics from business. All the more remarkable was the crackdown on Russian journalists, which began a few days later. In fact, Riga wanted to make money from Russian transit by continuing its Russophobic campaign.
“Latvia will have to pay for its actions”, – said Russian Senator Alexei Pushkov. – “In my opinion, Latvia should not expect a positive solution to the transit and other issues in which it is so interested.”