Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics is paying a working visit to Finland on 28 September 2023, YLE reports. Speaking at a joint press conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, Rinkevics noted that Latvia and Finland were “like-minded countries” that were “facing similar geopolitical challenges.” The two presidents discussed bilateral relations, including a joint plan to begin…
Lithuanian footballers will not play against Russian teams, the Lithuanian Football Federation (LFF) stated, BNS reports. Earlier, the UEFA Executive Committee decided to readmit Russian youth teams to international competitions, while adult teams would remain disqualified until the end of the war in Ukraine. LFF president Edgaras Stankevicius said that the UEFA decision was “unexpected.”…
Latvia’s Ministry of Justice will propose banning vehicles registered in Russia and Belarus from staying in the country for more than three months, LSM reports. Under the proposed law, owners of Russian and Belarusian vehicles would have to re-register the vehicles in Latvia. Justice Minister Inese Libina-Egnere pointed out that keeping cars with Russian or…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has elected MP Daiga Mierina of the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS) as its new speaker, LSM reports. She replaces United List’s Edvards Smiltens. Mierina was only elected at the fourth ballot after the two front-runners for the post, Gunars Kutris of ZZS and United List’s Maris Sprindzuks, were…
The Russian NGO, Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), which was founded by jailed Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, has asked the Baltic States to reconsider a ban on cars with Russian licence plates, LRT reports. FBK chairwoman Maria Pevchikh published letters that the organisation sent to Baltic governments, arguing that the ban undermined and discredited sanctions against…
The Baltic States have banned motor vehicles with Russian license plates from entering, ERR reports. Earlier, the European Commission issued new guidelines on EU sanctions, according to which cars registered in Russia are not allowed to enter EU territory. The ban applies to the entry of both commercial and private vehicles through the borders with…
Estonia’s Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, said that she “respectfully disagreed” with President Alar Karis who said that the prime minister should have resigned over a scandal involving business ties that Kallas’s husband had with Russia, ERR reports. This is the first time in 30 years that an Estonian president has urged the prime minister to…
Exports of goods from Latvia to countries that continue to trade with Russia have increased rapidly, LSM reports. At the same time as exports to Russia have come to a halt due to sanctions, exports to countries of the Eurasian Economic Union have risen sharply. Exports of mechanical and electrical equipment to Russia have fallen…
Many Estonian companies continue doing business with Russia, ERR reports. Altogether 500-600 Estonian businesses still trade goods with Russia. The total value of goods exported from Estonia to Russia has not changed since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, when it amounted to EUR 50-70mn per month. This is partly due to the rise…