RIGA (Sputnik) – Bilateral relations between Latvia and Russia are experiencing the deepest crisis in the past 20 years, Russian Ambassador to Latvia Aleksander Veshnyakov stated Friday on the fields of the Baltic Forum held in Latvia’s Yurmala city.
"Unfortunately, because of the pressure of historical phobias, following the preferences of their senior partners, Latvia is dominated by biased view on the Ukrainian events and biased attitude to Russian subjects," Veshnyakov said.
The ambassador added that the two countries currently only support formal cooperation.
Russia’s relations with Latvia deteriorated over the Ukrainian crisis. The European Union, including Latvia, accused Russia of interfering in Ukraine's internal affairs. Consequently, it imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
In late August, Latvian President Raimonds Vejonis said that did not think it was possible for him to visit Russia, while a crisis in Ukraine continues.
Russia has repeatedly refuted the allegations and expressed readiness to resume dialogue with Western partners, but on terms of mutual respect and cooperation.
