Stuck between the Moon and New York City
RIGA – Okay. Maybe it’s not the most appropriate headline.
Latvia is gradually selling its own independence back to Russia.
Judging from news bits posted throughout the day, the foreign minister Maris Riekstins has been modest his comments about the Sunday’s -farce- elections in Russia.
This afternoon, he told journalists he was disappointed with the lack of access at the election time, but he would rely on observers to tell the full story.
“We already have voiced our regret concerning the issue,” Riekstins told BNS.
Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis, whose government is set to step down on Wednesday, refused to comment all together.
And who can forget the slow Latvian response during the Estonian riots in April? Back then, the Parliament waited a whole week before adopting a resolution to condemn the rioters.
This time, however, Latvian Public Television has been under fire for now postponing the showing of an anti-Putin documentary on Saturday. TV execs told the media nothing was wrong with a delay, repeating the gobbledygook about a broken tape.
No matter how disheartening it may be, Latvia isn’t interested in making Russia angry. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, according to some sources, should visit Riga on Dec. 18 to exchange the now-constitutional border treaty agreement.
At the same time, the economic interests in Latvia aren’t interested in sour relationship with Russia.
To build Latvian economy based on transit of goods, Latvia will have to juggle between Russia and the EU like no other country in the Baltics, hell in the whole Union.
Latvia will have to share sometimes impossible values - that of democracy and the rule of law in the European Union and that of managed democracy and unlawful elections in Russia.
And as the song goes, “you could get stuck between the Moon and New York City. I know it’s crazy but it’s true.”
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