Latvia has introduced checks on all visitors to the Russian Embassy
From now on, Latvia will check the documents of everyone visiting the Russian Embassy in Riga. The country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that this is a response to similar actions by Russian security forces near foreign diplomatic missions in Moscow. The Russian side has already been officially notified of the new rules.
Starting Wednesday, the Latvian State Police will begin checking the documents of everyone who comes to the Russian Embassy in Riga. The country’s authorities made this decision in response to Russia’s actions regarding foreign diplomatic missions in Moscow.
Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže announced the new measure. According to her, the Latvian side has decided to act on the principle of reciprocity. In Moscow, Russian law enforcement agencies have long been checking the documents of people visiting the embassies of other countries. “This is a response to Russia’s actions regarding the embassies of other countries in Moscow,” explained Baiba Braže.
She emphasized that the new measures will apply to all visitors, without exception, to the Russian diplomatic mission in Riga. The Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also reported that the Russian embassy had been informed in advance about the introduction of the new procedure. So far, no other restrictions or changes to the diplomatic mission’s operations have been announced. The measure involves only checking the documents of people entering the embassy building.
In recent years, relations between Latvia and Russia have remained tense. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, the Baltic states have repeatedly tightened security measures, scaled back diplomatic contacts with Moscow, and introduced new restrictions. Officials in Riga emphasize that the current decision is a mirror response to the practices the Russian authorities apply to visitors to foreign embassies in Moscow. This was reported by Delfi.
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