Entrepreneur and former mayor of Riga Gundars Boyars admitted in an interview with "nra.lv TV sarunas" that he feels sad watching what the capital of Latvia is turning into.
According to him, the feelings are definitely negative: "Yes, sad." Boyars notes that the city he once managed has accumulated systemic problems.
The former mayor of Riga understands that there are objective reasons for this, but he pointed out that while neighbors - the Estonians and Lithuanians - used to envy what Riga was like and thought they could have something similar, now the capitals of those countries are outpacing Riga, as quoted by nra.lv.
Boyars noted that during the time he was mayor, people's wealth was lower, but there was a sense of uplift and optimism. There was a desire to do something.
He believes that the decline is particularly felt in the historic center of the city on weekends. "And the saddest thing, of course, is some Friday evenings in Vecrīga, when you see empty streets, and a place that should be a magnet for tourism and investment is filled with signs saying 'For Sale,' 'For Rent,' and so on..." said Boyars.
In Boyars' opinion, such changes are a worrying signal.
Gundars Boyars was the mayor of Riga from March 27, 2001, to March 29, 2005.
