LATVIA/RUSSIA: A border dispute between Russia and Latvia, which threatens to cloud a summit aimed at thawing EU-Russian relations, could be averted, Latvian foreign minister Artis Pabriks has said.
Mr Pabriks said yesterday he was confident Russia and Latvia could still sign a formal border agreement on May 10th at a Russia-EU summit in Moscow, despite Russian threats over a disputed piece of its territory that was once Latvian.
"We are ready to sign. There's no hesitation from our side," Mr Pabriks said. If signed, "it might contribute to improving relations between Russia and the EU". He said Latvia had no claims over Russian territory.
Riga angered Moscow this week by recalling in a statement a 1920 treaty between then Soviet Russia and Latvia in which the Russians renounced claims on Latvian territory, which at the time included the Abrene district, annexed by Moscow in 1945. That prompted Russia to threaten to pull out of next month's signing if Latvia did not renounce claims to the area, which has remained Russian territory since.
The dispute could complicate a wider rapprochement between the EU and Russia, which are close to moving forward in strengthening their often volatile relations at the May 10th summit.
EU diplomats say Moscow is also signalling readiness for better ties with the three former Soviet Baltic states which joined the EU last year by signing at the summit an agreement delineating Latvia's border with Russia.
Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov telephoned EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Thursday over the issue.
The commissioner's spokeswoman said: "We are following the situation closely. We regard it as a bilateral question between Latvia and Russia." She declined to say if the the disputed area was regarded as EU territory, saying that would prejudge the outcome of a bilateral negotiation.
Analysts say the EU is anxious to keep out of the dispute which threatens to spill over into Brussels-Moscow relations, but the EU position has angered Latvia.
"Before these [ Baltic] countries entered the EU there were assumptions that the Russian border issue would be resolved," said Bengt Dennis, a Baltic consultant for Swedish bank SEB. "This has not happened and the Baltics have been very disappointed by Brussels' response."