Friday, January 19, 2007
Latvia has no territorial claims to Russia
MOSCOW, January 17 (Itar-Tass) -- Mikhail Margelov, the chairman of the International Relations Committee of the Federation Council upper house of parliament, welcomes the decision of Latvian politicians to recall the declaration attached to the Treaty on the Border with Russia. “This decision should be hailed by all on both sides of the border who are interested in normal relations of the two neighbour countries,” Margelov told reporters on Wednesday.
The committee’s chairman recalled that Russia refused in May 2005 to sign the treaty because of Latvia’s claims to the city of Abrene, the way Latvia called the city of Pytalovo in Pskov Region. The Latvian leaders, Margelov said, “devised a truly Byzantine move”: Latvia advanced no claims in the treaty itself, while making a reference to the 1920 Russian-Latvian Peace Treaty in the declaration attached.
The move “has not escaped the notice of the Russian side, as it was in 1920 that the city of Abrene with six regions attached went to Latvia,” Margelov noted. “Thus the treaty and the declaration were turned into a combined document which would give the latest legal grounds for revision of the border,” he said.
The Latvian prime minister said the other day that his country renounced territorial claims to Russia, and the government coalition council on Wednesday decided to recall the “unfortunate declaration.” Welcoming this decision, the chairman of the upper house committee noted that “complexities about border delimitation and unauthorised seals and signatures” cloud bilateral relations.
He suggested that Latvia should now refer to the 1991 law On the State Status of the Latvian Republic, on whose basis Moscow recognized Riga’s independence. “The alignment of political forces in Latvia calls for compromise, and the treaty on the border in this case should observe state continuity principle.”
True, Margelov acknowledged, “It is yet early to speak about the successful advance of the coalition council’s idea, as the meeting of the Latvian saeima (parliament) is ahead. The chances of signing the treaty, however, are high, Margelov added, as, according to experts, only the TB-DNNL nationalist association is against the treaty. Margelov voiced the hope that the treaty on Russian-Latvian border would be signed.
The committee’s chairman recalled that Russia refused in May 2005 to sign the treaty because of Latvia’s claims to the city of Abrene, the way Latvia called the city of Pytalovo in Pskov Region. The Latvian leaders, Margelov said, “devised a truly Byzantine move”: Latvia advanced no claims in the treaty itself, while making a reference to the 1920 Russian-Latvian Peace Treaty in the declaration attached.
The move “has not escaped the notice of the Russian side, as it was in 1920 that the city of Abrene with six regions attached went to Latvia,” Margelov noted. “Thus the treaty and the declaration were turned into a combined document which would give the latest legal grounds for revision of the border,” he said.
The Latvian prime minister said the other day that his country renounced territorial claims to Russia, and the government coalition council on Wednesday decided to recall the “unfortunate declaration.” Welcoming this decision, the chairman of the upper house committee noted that “complexities about border delimitation and unauthorised seals and signatures” cloud bilateral relations.
He suggested that Latvia should now refer to the 1991 law On the State Status of the Latvian Republic, on whose basis Moscow recognized Riga’s independence. “The alignment of political forces in Latvia calls for compromise, and the treaty on the border in this case should observe state continuity principle.”
True, Margelov acknowledged, “It is yet early to speak about the successful advance of the coalition council’s idea, as the meeting of the Latvian saeima (parliament) is ahead. The chances of signing the treaty, however, are high, Margelov added, as, according to experts, only the TB-DNNL nationalist association is against the treaty. Margelov voiced the hope that the treaty on Russian-Latvian border would be signed.
