Latvia

Latvia Encourages Citizens to Strengthen National Reserve

Latvia’s National Armed Forces are encouraging citizens to apply for next year’s reservist basic military training. The course will run from August 8 to 29, 2026, and applications are open…

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Latvia votes to exit treaty opposing violence against women

The Latvian Parliament on Thursday voted to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, an international treaty aimed at supporting women who are victims of violence. The tally from the ballot was 56 to…

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Baltic states plan for mass evacuations in case of a Russian attack

Alarmed by Russia's vast military spending since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the three Baltic states are drawing up contingency plans to deal with the possibility of hundreds of thousands…

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Latvia Strengthens Eastern Flank Security with New Air and Land Restrictions

Latvia is reinforcing its border security with Russia and Belarus, extending both air and land restrictions indefinitely as part of ongoing efforts to manage regional security risks and align with…

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Latvia to Ban One-Off Bus Trips to Russia and Belarus from October

Latvia plans to ban occasional passenger bus services to Russia and Belarus from 15 October, citing heightened border security concerns, the Ministry of Transport said. The measure would cover one-off,…

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Latvia warns public that ‘unkempt tourists’ might actually be Russian spies

Latvia's intelligence agency has issued a public warning about potential Russian saboteurs and spies operating within the country, disguised as tourists or hikers. The Defence Intelligence and Security Service (MIDD)…

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Latvia to Upgrade 570 Public Bomb Shelters with EU Funding

Latvia will adapt approximately 570 public bomb shelters under a new initiative supported by over €22.2 million in European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) financing, Minister of the Interior Rihards Kozlovskis…

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GPS disruptions in Latvia rise, impacting navigation but not safety

For three years since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the number of navigation system disruptions in Europe, including Latvian airspace, has been on the rise. However, those responsible stress that…

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Third-country citizens’ travel requirements tightened in Latvia

Third-country citizens who have not been issued a visa or residence permit in Latvia will be required to provide specific information about themselves, their relatives and the purpose of their…

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Poland, Baltics call for EU defence line on border with Russia, Belarus

Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia called for the European Union to build a defence line along the bloc's border with Russia and Belarus to protect the EU from military threats…

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Pope Benedict’s ex-aide Archbishop Gaenswein appointed Vatican ambassador to Baltic countries

Pope Francis has given a new job to the former secretary of the late Pope Benedict XVI, in an apparent sign of reconciliation with the prelate after publicly falling out…

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Eight EU countries call for restricting Russian diplomats’ movement

Eight European Union foreign ministers called on the EU to ban Russian diplomats from moving freely around the bloc and restrict them to countries where they are accredited, in a…

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National defense to be compulsory subject in Latvian schools

From September this year, national defense will be a compulsory subject in schools, according to the amendments to the general secondary education standard approved by the government on Tuesday April 16.…

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Latvian Foreign Minister resigns amid private jet scandal, EU ambitions affected

Latvian Foreign Minister Krišjānis Kariņš announced his resignation on Thursday, engulfed by a scandal on taking private jets to official meetings. His departure effectively eliminates him as a challenger to…

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EU needs to find new ways to increase aid to Ukraine, Latvia’s Karins says

March 18 (Reuters) - EU leaders need to think "outside the box" and invent new financial ways to increase military aid to Ukraine, Latvia's Foreign Minister Krisjanis Karins said on…

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Latvia probes MEP for Kremlin spying

Media reports in Latvia claimed the country's VDD state security services had formally opened a criminal investigation into Tatjana Zdanoka, a member of the European Parliament, on suspicion of espionage.…

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Latvia bans national teams from playing Russia or Belarus under any flag

VILNIUS, (Reuters) - Latvia's parliament voted to ban its national teams from playing any national teams of Russia and Belarus regardless of what flag they may compete under, as a…

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Latvia’s Foreign Minister Karins eyes NATO top job

Latvian Foreign Minister Krisjanis Karins on Sunday declared his interest in becoming NATO’s next secretary-general, throwing his hat in the ring for the much contended race to succeed Jens Stoltenberg…

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Latvia PM: Let EU countries without colonial pasts lead diplomacy with BRICS+

Outgoing Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš called on Europe to let member countries without a history as colonial overlords handle the crucial but often tense diplomatic relations with countries across…

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Latvia’s prime minister announces resignation

RIGA, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins announced his resignation on Monday, blaming a breakdown in relations with parts of his multi-party governing government. "This Thursday I…

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Edgars Rinkevics elected president of Latvia

VILNIUS (Reuters) - Latvia's parliament has elected long-serving Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics as the country's next president, Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins said. Rinkevics will represent Latvia, a European Union and…

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United States says ready to defend Baltic allies

VILNIUS (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the United States was ready to defend the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania if required, and will keep its…

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Photo Story: Bank of Latvia releases ‘For the Freedom of Ukraine’ collectors’ coin

Ukrainian freedom coin on display at the Bank of Latvia in Riga, Latvia, 26 January 2023. Bank of Latvia has issued a silver collectors' coin dedicated to Ukraine's fight for…

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UPDATED: Lithuania-Latvia gas pipeline blows up, but no sign of attack

By Andrius Sytas VILNIUS, Jan 13 (Reuters) - A gas pipeline connecting Lithuania and Latvia was hit by an explosion on Friday but there was no immediate evidence of an…

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Photo Story: Christmas decorations in Riga

People look at Christmas decorations in Riga, Latvia. Via EPA-EFE/TOMS KALNINS

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EU needs to work on a tribunal to hold Russia accountable – Latvia PM

BRUSSELS, Oct 21 (Reuters) - The European Union must remain united in its support for Ukraine and should start working on holding Russia legally accountable for its activities in the…

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Baltic nations would welcome Ukraine’s accession to NATO

Foreign ministers from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania said they would welcome Ukraine's accession to NATO "as soon as possible" after the country formerly applied to join the alliance on Friday.…

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UPDATED: Latvia to remain Russia’s critic as prime minister wins election

RIGA, Oct 2 (Reuters) - The centre-right New Unity party of Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins won Saturday's election, according to provisional results, with its 19% of the vote putting…

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Latvian PM’s New Unity party ahead in vote, exit poll shows

RIGA (Reuters) - The centre-right New Unity party of Latvian prime minister Krisjanis Karins appeared set to win Saturday's national election, a LETA/LSM exit poll showed, with security concerns dominating…

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As Latvia goes to polls, ethnic Russian population fears losing identity

RIGA (Reuters) - Latvia's parliamentary election on Saturday could widen a growing rift between the country's Latvian majority and its Russian-speaking minority over their place in society, amid widespread national…

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Latvia says it won’t offer refuge to Russians fleeing mobilisation; Flights out of Russia sell out

European Union member Latvia, which borders Russia, will not offer refuge to any Russians fleeing Moscow's mobilisation of troops, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said in a tweet on Wednesday,…

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Baltic states and Poland close doors to Russian tourists

NARVA, Estonia, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Four of the five European Union countries bordering Russia began turning away Russian tourists at midnight on Monday, saying they should not travel while…

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UPDATED: German businessman named as owner of jet that crashed in Baltic

BERLIN, Sept 5 (Reuters) - A private jet that crashed into the Baltic Sea off Latvia after flying half way across Europe from Spain without responding to controllers' calls belonged…

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While rest of EU mourns, Baltics recall Gorbachev as agent of repression

VILNIUS (Reuters) - Widely praised in the West as a towering statesman who helped end the Cold War, Mikhail Gorbachev was remembered in the Baltic states as a repressive autocrat…

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Latvia declares Russia a ‘state sponsor of terrorism’

Latvian MPs on Thursday adopted a statement declaring Russia a "state sponsor of terrorism" and said its actions in Ukraine constituted "targeted genocide against the Ukrainian people". The statement said…

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UPDATED: Russia’s Gazprom halts gas supplies to Latvia

July 30 (Reuters) - Russian gas producer Gazprom GAZP.MM said on Saturday it had stopped sending gas to Latvia after accusing it of violating supply conditions, a move the Baltic country said would have…

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Photo story: The International Sand Sculpture Park in Jelgava, Latvia

Visitors look at the demo sculpture, a sand replica of Michelangelo's sculpture 'Pieta (The Pity)', made by Latvian sculptors Karlis Ile and Maija Ile at the International Sand Sculpture Park…

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Photo Story: City Festival in Kuldiga, Latvia

Members of Dutch Bicycle Orchestra perform during city festival in Kuldiga, Latvia. It had already become a tradition that on the third weekend of July, thousands of people go to…

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Latvia wants more NATO troops, fed up of “paying for lunch for the others”

BRUSSELS, June 16 (Reuters) - Latvia on Thursday made a last pitch for the deployment of more NATO troops in the Baltics, two weeks before NATO leaders are set to decide the…

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EU preparing measures to prevent Russia from evading sanctions

The European Union is preparing new measures to prevent Russia from evading sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics told a news conference on Wednesday.…

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UPDATED: Ukraine official denies Zelenskiy rejected visit offer from Germany’s Steinmeier

April 13 (Reuters) - An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff, Serhiy Leshchenko, denied in an interview with CNN that Zelenskiy had rejected a visit offer from German President…

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Photo Story: Snow in Riga, Latvia

People walk at snowy park in Riga, Latvia, on Wednesday 06 April 2022. According to the data of the Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Center, seven centimetres of snow was…

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Baltic nations expel ten Russian diplomats

VILNIUS, March 18 (Reuters) - Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania have expelled a total of ten Russian diplomats, the foreign ministries of the three Baltic countries said on Friday. Lithuania expelled four diplomats…

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UK to host Baltic, Nordic leaders to find new ways to isolate Russia

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will host leaders from countries along Russia's northwestern flank to discuss ways they can respond to President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, including finding new…

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Russia demands that Baltic countries protect its embassies, Canada tells citizens to leave Russia

Moscow demanded that authorities in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania take measures to protect Russia's embassies after a Russian diplomat was attacked in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, the Russian RIA news…

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Latvia allows its citizens to fight in Ukraine

VILNIUS, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Latvia's parliament voted unanimously on Monday to allow its nationals to fight in Ukraine if willing, the parliament said in a statement. "Our citizens who want to…

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U.S. troops in Latvia in warning to Putin

ADAZI MILITARY BASE, Latvia - The presence of U.S. and other NATO troops in Latvia sends a message to Vladimir Putin that Russia should stay away, Latvian Defence Minister Artis…

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UPDATED: NATO welcomes more U.S. forces to Romania, says reinforcing in east

CONSTANTA, Romania, Feb 11 (Reuters) - NATO will continue to reinforce its eastern flank amid a Russian military build-up on Ukraine's border but will also consider a longer-term presence in…

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U.S. clears Baltic states to send U.S.-made weapons to Ukraine

The U.S. State Department has cleared Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to send U.S.-made missiles and other weapons to Ukraine, three sources familiar with the decision said, as President Joe Biden…

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West could cut Russia from SWIFT, sanction Nord Stream, Latvia says

The West must send a strong message to Russia to deter the Kremlin from invading Ukraine, including cutting Russia off from the SWIFT payment system, sanctioning the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and…

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Photo Story: Snowy weather in Riga

A man walks during a snowy day at the Ziedondarzs Park in Riga, Latvia. The Finnish Meteorological Institute in its forecast for Latvia predicts winterly temperatures of down to minus…

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EU starts legal steps against France, Malta, Latvia, Portugal and Slovakia over EU arrest warrant

BRUSSELS, Dec 2 (Reuters) - The European Commission started legal steps on Thursday against France, Malta, Latvia, Portugal and Slovakia for failing to fully transpose into national laws the EU's…

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EU allows Poland, Baltics to trim migrant rights at Belarus border

The European Union proposed on Wednesday curtailing some rights of migrants at its frontier with Belarus, a gesture towards member states Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, even as Brussels acknowledged border…

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EU seeks to ease rules for Poland, Baltics in migration standoff with Belarus

BRUSSELS, Dec 1 (Reuters) - The European Union executive on Wednesday will propose that Poland and its two Baltic neighbours handle migrants the West accuses Belarus of pushing to their…

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Latvia calls for permanent U.S. troops to guard against Russia threat

Latvia needs a permanent U.S. military presence to deter Russia and wants to boost its defences with U.S. Patriot missiles, Defence Minister Artis Pabriks said on Monday as NATO's chief…

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EU’s von der Leyen and NATO’s Stoltenberg visit Lithuania and Latvia

Nov 26 (Reuters) - The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg will travel to Lithuania and Latvia on Sunday amid a migrant…

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Latvia: students to get affordable European-backed study loans

Together with Latvian banks, ALTUM and the European Investment Fund, backed by the Investment Plan for Europe, are enabling more favourable lending to students and learners in Latvia, to cover…

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