Latvia’s new Prime Minister Kulbergs wants to stop trade with Russia

Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs will instruct Foreign Minister Baiba Braže to find a solution to stop exports and imports with Russia, but there may be exceptions in certain sectors, writes the Delfi newspaper.

He stressed that, as before, he firmly insists that business ties with Russia should not be maintained.

“This is an unnecessary dependence that only worsens the situation,” Kulbergs stressed.

The Prime Minister said that he would instruct Braže to find a solution to this issue, but it will also need to be agreed with the European Union, since Latvia is primarily a member of the EU trading community.

At the same time, he acknowledged that, for example, the situation in the pharmaceutical industry cannot be viewed so unambiguously. Enterprises in this sector cannot quickly retrain, since the certification process in other countries is lengthy.

“I know they have a plan, they are reducing [volumes], but it cannot be done in one day,” Kulbergs said.

In addition, pharmaceutical companies have chemical and biological knowledge, as well as production capacities, which could be important for Latvia in the field of defense in a critical situation, the prime minister noted.

“These capabilities must be preserved,” he stressed, adding that he intends to meet with pharmaceutical companies to discuss such issues.

In the first three months of this year, Latvia exported goods to Russia worth 244.15 million euros and imported from Russia – 10.51 million euros.

Tags: Russia, Latvia, restrictions