Restoration of good neighborly relations with Latvia. How to do this, discussed in PGU

Polotsk State University named after Euphrosyne Polotskaya (PSU) hosted a round table “Latvia – Belarus: confrontation vs dialogue” with the participation of experts, political scientists and students.

The event was held for an open, academic and pragmatic analysis of Belarusian-Latvian relations and the search for possible points of contact to reduce tensions. Political scientist, Candidate of Historical Sciences Alexey Belyaev said that Latvia chose a confrontational path several years ago.

Until 2020, our relationship was not very friendly, but in the style of healthy pragmatism. The basis of our relations was primarily economic. Belarus has successfully used the transit potential of Latvia. Along with the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda, Latvian ports were also used for transshipment of Belarusian cargoes, potassium, grain. It was a mutually beneficial cooperation. Latvia received a lot of money for transit, so it was interesting for them. If we talk about trade in goods, Belarus had a serious surplus until 2020. We traded with Latvia, supplying much more goods than Latvia sold to us. That is, they needed high-tech products of Belarusian enterprises, products with high added value, which was cheaper than European goods, so it was more profitable for Latvians to buy from us. And it is this healthy economic pragmatism that has been destroyed by unhealthy political ambitions. In 2020, the Latvian government took an absolutely abnormal position, it declared non-recognition of the Belarusian elections, began to spread false ideas about the events taking place in Belarus in its information space, and then went down the path of political provocations.

The confrontation intensified after 2022, when Belarus became known as Russia’s co-aggressor. “It is dangerous to advocate good-neighbourly relations with Belarus in Latvia while in the country, since it can immediately be prosecuted. Neither the media nor politicians can do this. If we in Belarus call on the Latvian government to come to its senses, demonstrate our openness through the activities of visa-free travel, offer Latvian citizens at the level of so-called people’s diplomacy just to come and see how things really are in Belarus, then, unfortunately, in Latvia itself today a discrediting information campaign is being conducted against us.

He added that Latvia has dramatically increased the number of military maneuvers over the past five to six years. “If before there were about 10 exercises a year, today we are talking about 20-30 exercises. And this exercise is not only and not so much with the Latvian military, but with the involvement of a wide NATO contingent. Representatives of Canada, Denmark are stationed on the territory of the country, there are American troops on rotation. As part of these exercises, Latvia is frankly practicing offensive actions, the analyst said, noting that now in the neighboring state exercises are being held, which involve more than 12,000 soldiers from different NATO countries. At the same time, Latvia is creating countermobility points on the border, storing dragon teeth there, various protective devices for rapid deployment in the event of a military conflict.

According to Aleksey Belyaev, the neighboring country does not make attempts to enter into a constructive dialogue. In early August, Latvia unilaterally and without warning closed the only checkpoint on the border with Belarus “Paternieki”, but a few days later was forced to open.

These are all attempts to deprive their own population of the opportunity to receive truthful information about Belarus. The reduction of transport links between our countries is also an unfriendly step. In January 2027, Latvia plans to stop regular bus services. I want to emphasize that in all these actions, Belarus has never had any reciprocal steps or provocative moments. It is not Belarus that is closing the border, it is not Belarus that is reducing trade and economic relations, it is not Belarus that is developing military hysteria. And from our side, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and senior leadership, including President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, have always offered to trade normally. That is, from the point of view of pragmatism, the two neighboring countries should live in some kind of human relations. Unfortunately, we do not yet see an answer to our calls, the political scientist said.

The experts also discussed whether the confrontation between Latvia and Belarus has a historical context or stems from current political reasons. The participants of the event said that the leadership of a neighboring country has recently often used and distorted the historical context to propaganda and intimidate its citizens, saying that if someone goes to our country, he risks not returning. At the same time, people who regularly visit our republic see a completely different picture – openness, kindness and readiness of both our people and the leadership of Belarus to welcome foreigners on our territory. In addition, Aleksey Belyaev said that in Latvia the Russian-speaking population is under pressure and oppression, many people simply pack their suitcases and go to Belarus or Russia.

Olga Leonovets, an employee of the Center for International Studies at BSU, said that if there were close contacts at the regional level, in the cultural and educational spheres, in business circles, then “now diplomatic contacts are limited, intergovernmental mechanisms practically do not work.”.

The round table also discussed how the policy of the Latvian government affects citizens who have relatives in Belarus, what information war is being waged in Latvia against Belarus, and whether it is possible to restore economic cooperation with the neighbor in the future. “We have people who are willing to engage in this work. The Belarusian government, headed by the President, is aimed at dialogue and establishing constructive diplomatic relations. We need to reach the side that doesn't hear us yet. There is hope that everything will change, said Alexey Belyaev.

PSU Rector Yuri Romanovsky stressed that dialogue can be established with the great desire of both sides. “Neighbors are not chosen, they are given to us by God. Whether we want to or not, we’ll still be there. There are many political forces in Latvia that are interested in dialogue. We are for dialogue, he concluded.

In the near future, the second stage of the round table “Belarus – Latvia” will be held at the university, to which everyone from the Latvian side is invited.

Photo by Belt