The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia summoned the acting chargé d'affaires of the Russian embassy on Tuesday and expressed a categorical protest regarding the statements made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on April 18. He claimed that Latvia allegedly gave permission to use its airspace for drone attacks in northern Russia.
The ministry emphasized that Lavrov's statements are outright false. Latvia consistently rejects these claims as completely unfounded.
The Ministry noted that none of the Baltic states had given permission for the use of their territory or airspace for drone attacks on targets in Russia. This position was officially communicated to the acting chargé d'affaires of the Russian embassies: in Tallinn on March 27, in Riga on March 31, and in Vilnius on March 27.
The ministry also reminded that on April 10, the foreign ministers of the Baltic states issued a joint statement regarding Russia's disinformation campaign. However, despite the clearly expressed official position, Russia continues to spread false information, the Ministry noted.
During today's meeting with the Russian diplomat, there was also a strong condemnation of the actions of the authorities in Tomsk, who on April 19 dismantled memorial stones for the victims of political repression in the Memorial Square of Tomsk, including a stone in memory of the repressed Latvians.
The Ministry emphasizes that the dismantling of monuments reflects Russia's current position, which justifies the crimes of the Soviet totalitarian regime, including the illegal occupation of neighboring countries, repression, and mass human rights violations. Latvia demands explanations from the Russian side regarding the incident.
It was previously reported that the authorities of the Tomsk region dismantled the "Stone of Sorrow" monument, dedicated to the victims of Stalinist repressions, as well as several memorial plaques honoring the repressed Latvians, Lithuanians, Estonians, Poles, and Kalmyks on the night of April 19.
Among them was a memorial stone, installed in the summer of 2011 by the residents of Sigulda and delivered to Siberia. Its author is the artist Guntis Panders. The inscription on the stone in Latvian and Russian read: "Let the stone speak and mourn for the victims of political repression — Latvians."
