Latvia: President, Foreign Minister stress Israel’s right to defend itself

Latvia’s President Edgars Rinkevics and Foreign Minister Krisjanis Karins strongly condemned the indiscriminate terrorist attacks by Palestinian group Hamas against Israeli citizens. They stressed that Israel had the right to defend its people. Latvia stands in solidarity with the people of Israel, Rinkevics stated. Karins insisted that the violence must stop. At the same time, the Foreign Ministry urged Latvian residents not to visit Israel due to the rapidly deteriorating security situation, TVNET reports. The ministry called on those Latvian residents who are currently in Israel to register at the consular registry and stay close to bomb shelters. Meanwhile, Latvia’s Civil Aviation Agency (CAA) recommended Latvian airlines not to fly into Israeli airspace, LETA reports. National air carrier airBaltic cancelled an evening flight from Riga to Tel Aviv on 7 October 2023.