Translated material
Three stars for Boris Yeltsin
The ex-president of Russia was going to Latvia
Today, the first Russian President Boris Yeltsin arrives in Latvia for a three-day visit. In Riga, he will be awarded the Order of Three Stars, 1st class, awarded to Mr. Yeltsin by the Latvian parliament in 2000 for his contribution to the Latvian Republic gaining state independence in 1991.The Order of Three Stars will be presented to Mr. Yeltsin by Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga. In Riga, the ex-president of Russia will meet with other high-ranking officials, said the press secretary of the President of Latvia, Quince Rosenberg. It is expected that Boris Yeltsin will meet with ex-President of Latvia Guntis Ulmanis, former head of the Supreme Council of Latvia Anatoly Gorbunov, as well as current Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis. Weather permitting, Mr Yeltsin will visit the city of Cesis, which celebrates its 800th anniversary this year.
Latvian authorities tend to see this visit as a positive sign, indicating a gradual improvement in relations between Moscow and Riga. Former Latvian Foreign Minister Valdis Birkavs noted to Vremya Novostey that the June meeting in St. Petersburg of the Latvian Prime Minister of Latvia Aigars Kalvitis with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the visit of Patriarch Alexy II to Latvia in May, as well as the current visit of Boris Yeltsin create " some background." However, regarding the prospects for the development of Latvian-Russian contacts, VN’s interlocutor is restrained: “Yes, of course, there is dynamics. But it’s too early to draw clear conclusions; relations may again reach a dead end.”
The visit is made symbolic by the fact that these days the territory of the former USSR is commemorating the 15th anniversary of the August 1991 coup, which led to the collapse of the country and the independence of the former Soviet republics. Russian communities in Latvia accuse Boris Yeltsin of betraying the interests of his compatriots and “solidarity with the undemocratic national policy of the Republic of Latvia.”
“Thanks to Boris Yeltsin, a huge number of Russian people were deprived of citizenship! For fifteen years they have not had the right to vote in elections, although non-citizens pay taxes honestly!” - Valery Kravtsov, chairman of the Liepaja Russian community, part of the United Congress of Russian Communities of Latvia (OKROL), told a VN correspondent. OKROL signed a statement accusing the Russian leadership, represented by Mr. Yeltsin, of not using all the opportunities to secure normal legal status for the Russian-speaking residents of Latvia in the early 90s and leaving them to their fate.