Temporary residence permit in Latvia will be extended to the Russians only in rare cases, said Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins. According to him, such an agreement was reached by the ruling coalition.
The parliamentary secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zanda Kalniņa-Lukashevicha, in turn, said that marriages with citizens of Latvia could be classified as exceptional cases. Minister of the Interior Kristaps Eklons also noted that those wishing to obtain a residence permit should be required to pass a language proficiency test.
Deputy of the Latvian Seimas Vyacheslav Dombrovsky, in a conversation with The Insider, noted that the prohibitive measures are directed against Russian citizens who support the Putin regime, in particular, this concerns the issuance of visas. However, now it will be necessary to prove their anti-war views.
“For some time we have been giving questionnaires that indicate attitudes towards the war and the Putin regime, but it is clear that a person who wants to go to Latvia to drink beer or to another country through Latvia, having received a Schengen visa, can write anything in the questionnaire. Now, by default, we do not give such an opportunity, and those who have proven their opposition to the Putin regime, we will consider their cases on an individual basis, ”Dombrovsky said.
Speaking about the cancellation of the extension of residence permits for Russians, Dombrovsky noted that he is not a supporter of such a tough decision, but the majority will accept it. Taking into account the words of Karins about the agreement reached, the necessary documents will be signed in the near future.
“Personally, my position and the position of the majority of the Seim deputies is that we do not want to see in our country those who are supporters of the Putin regime, directly or indirectly support the war in Ukraine. I think that for everyone who has a residence permit, there will be some kind of individual trial, ”says Dombrovsky.
According to Dombrovsky, the position of the Seimas is generally the same, the divergence of views concerns the nuances in the issue of journalists and oppositionists, as well as those who have long received a residence permit.
“There are more radical voices who say that everyone should be sent to Russia, but there are more pragmatic ones who say that those people who have clearly taken an anti-Putin position have clearly demonstrated that they are against the Putin regime, that they do not support the war in Ukraine. “It’s not worth sending them back to Russia, unless, of course, they themselves want it, because they are unlikely to receive any humane treatment from the Putin regime there.”
