Latvia

Latvia (Latvian: Latvija), officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe, one of the three Baltic states. It is bordered by Estonia to the north, Lithuania to the south, Russia to the east, and Belarus to the southeast, as well as a maritime border to the west alongside Sweden. Latvia has 2,070,371 inhabitants and a territory of 64,589 km2 (24,938 sq mi).

Quotes[edit]

Latvia is monitoring Russia’s military activities near our national borders. The exercise in question which was launched today was planned in advance, and Latvia was notified about it.
- Raimonds Bergmanis (Latvian Defense Minister) has confirmed that the Russian military exercise in the Pskov Oblast near Russia's borders with Latvia and Estonia is a scheduled exercise, quoted on Baltic Times (15 February 2016), "Latvia aware of Russian military drills on border"

These days in Europe, many countries are sympathetic towards Ukraine and the situation here - of course, this touches a lot of people from different states. The fact that volunteers and government organizations work together on this and these kinds of humanitarian actions happen - is not unique, but it proves, that there are a lot of regular folks out there who care about Ukraine and its future.
- Juris Poikans (Latvia's Ambassador to Ukraine), quoted on UAToday (February 11, 2016), "Latvia sends more aid to Ukraine"

Generally, the situation has worsened. We are now seeing signs of hybrid-warfare directed at us in Latvia.
- Janis Sarts, the director of the Latvia-based NATO Strategic Communications Center of Excellence, believes Russia’s form of hybrid-warfare can now be seen in Latvia, quoted on Baltic Times (February 17, 2016), "NATO STRATCOM: Hybrid-warfare already evident in Latvia"

Will the shift of ministers from one ministry to another bring life to the government’s frail body [Latvia]? I doubt it.
- Inguna Sudraba, a member of an opposition party that declined to join Mr. Kucinskis’s coalition, predicted that the new government would be as fragile as its predecessor (referring to newly elected Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis), quoted on New York Times (12 February 2016), "Latvia Has a New Leader, as Fears of Russia and Migration Rise".

We share similar values and attitudes about working hard and reaching out and so it is quite natural for Latvia to be taking steps to actively promote closer relations with strong, like-minded partners such as Korea. [He added] Korea is a very dynamic country, a genuine Asian tiger when we talk about economic growth. Latvia together with its two neighbours ― Estonia and Lithuania ― are referred to as the Baltic tiger
- Latvian Ambassador to South Korea, Peteris Vaivars, as quoted in Korea Times (February 14, 2016), "Latvia opens new chapter with Korea"
In the Baltic states—Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—the return of the Red Army also provoked lasting resistance. Having become independent from Russia in 1918, the three countries were occupied by the Soviets in 1940, after Stalin’s pact with Hitler. The occupation was vicious, and the German invasion in 1941 had been greeted with relief by many Balts, who now turned their wrath on Russians and other local minorities, including Jews. The German defeat meant the return of the Red Army and the start of another round of bloodletting. In all three Baltic countries resistance coalesced around former officers, most of whom had collaborated with the Nazis; they were known collectively as the “Forest Brothers.” The fighting lasted for almost a decade and cost up to fifty thousand lives, mostly in Lithuania. Around 10 percent of the entire adult population of Balts was deported or sent to Soviet labor camps between 1940 and 1953.
- Odd Arne Westad, The Cold War: A World History (2017)