Lack of trust between Latvia and Russia

Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov has announced plans to stop shipping through Baltic ports by 2015 and instead use only Russian ports. The Latvian daily Lavijas Avize criticises the plans but says there is no point in panicking: "This just shows that Russia is once again using economic clout to achieve political aims. Russia will have to pay dearly for conducting all its shipping through its own ports. But Moscow has once again made it clear that it does not trust its neighbours and therefore we cannot trust Moscow. Germany and France managed to restore their political trust in each other after the war. Latvia and Russia have failed to do this so far. And statements like this only make it more difficult."

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