Latvia's Prime Minister Explained the Decision on Sanctions Against Usmanov and Friedman
Latvia tried to block the lifting of sanctions against Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman; however, according to Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs, the European Union presented the country with a “tough choice.”
Kulbergs believes that the issue of extending sanctions against Russia should have been resolved in such a way that Riga would not be left to face this problem alone. In other words, a solution should have been reached that would prevent Latvia from becoming the only European country to oppose the decision.
Kulbergs also makes no secret of the fact that he was surprised by the position of Lithuania and Estonia, which have already agreed to remove Usmanov and Friedman from the sanctions list.
In his view, the Baltic states must act in unison, so this issue must be resolved.
“It was a tough choice: either a very bad situation or just a bad one,” the prime minister said.
According to him, Latvia was effectively forced to choose—whether to lift sanctions against two individuals or 2,600.
In addition, Kulbergs noted that he was surprised by the de facto disregard for Latvia’s interests during the discussion of this issue.
The prime minister emphasized that Riga had not changed its position and had not supported the decision. At the same time, the country was forced to abstain rather than vote against it.
Source: Delfi
As a reminder, Aliyev pardoned a French citizen after sanctions against Usmanov were lifted.
Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga criticized the EU’s decision to remove Russian businessmen Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Friedman from the sanctions list.
Prior to this, the EU had agreed to extend sanctions against Russia and to remove Usmanov and Friedman from the list.
