The media reports that Russian millionaire Pyotr Avens is still a citizen of Russia, Latvia and Luxembourg. What is the position of our country on the issue of dual citizenship with Russia, especially considering that currently Russia has significantly simplified the procedure for granting Russian citizenship?
I recommend that you familiarize yourself with the documents of the Saeima archive, when the Citizenship Law was last amended. In the course of the amendments, a proposal suddenly magically appears in the third reading, where the possibility of obtaining dual citizenship with Russia was hidden between the lines. This happened at the time when dealing with the case of Aven. At the time when the deputies voted for the amendments, it was difficult to understand and notice. The point on which Aven was granted dual citizenship is very unclear. It is interesting how the initiative was to incorporate this enigmatic point into the law and thus settle the citizenship issue for Aven.
We are where we are. There is a problem. How to deal with it? You are the chairman of the NDK and the secretary of the Commission on Citizenship, Migration and Social Cohesion.
One option is to open up the Citizenship Law and close this loophole for obtaining dual citizenship with Russia. But there are nuances. Since citizenship has been granted and is being revoked, legal proceedings will begin. It should be expected that in this situation one of the other dual citizens will renounce the Russian citizenship, keeping the Latvian citizenship. The next nuance – with this new government that has been established, I don’t know if it is a wise idea to open the Citizenship Law. As soon as the law is opened, it foresees the possibility of incorporating anything there, including, for example, zero citizenship, when all non-citizens become citizens of Latvia at some point, and other miracles. Therefore, one should measure seven times before opening this Citizenship Law. Wanting to get one thing right can cause problems in other areas. If the question is directly about Avena, then I am very impatiently waiting for the Office for the Protection of the Constitution to come up with a final conclusion on the legality of obtaining Avena’s citizenship and whether there are no risks to the country’s national security. Among other things, the Ministry of Justice is the institution that can regulate problematic areas with various special laws.
As we speak here, the number of dual citizens of Russia and Latvia is growing. It is possible that the member of the European Parliament and Vladimir Putin’s sympathizer Andrei Mamikin has already become a dual citizen.
Yes. This is another nuance that is complicated enough. On the one hand, everyone in society knows that Aven has these two citizenships, but there are definitely Latvian citizens and non-citizens of Latvia who at some point acquired Russian citizenship. How many there are, no one can say for sure. They also receive Russian pensions and have not notified the Latvian authorities.
What can we do in this situation? Just can’t get your hands dirty or make concrete decisions?
If there was good cooperation with the neighboring country, it would be possible to catch such cases.
But there must be an international agreement, which is currently impossible under the conditions of war.
Of course, the only thing that remains is to hope for random situations in which we can accidentally find that a person has two citizenships, of which the Latvian citizen and non-citizen status could not be maintained.
Shouldn’t a special meeting of the NDK be devoted to these issues and this issue should also be discussed in the National Security Council? Isn’t dual citizenship with Russia not good for our national security?
Of course, this is not a good thing. One way these people can be discovered and identified is through the various settlements that are made with Russia. Therefore, I have emphasized that our country should not provide special support to persons who receive social payments from Russia. We need to obtain accurate information about the income of such persons. For example, a person in Latvia has no or very little income, and this person has applied for the status of a poor person, but at the same time this person receives social benefits on other accounts from Russia.
Are our secret services capable of checking such financial flows?
This isn’t even a secret service issue. This issue should be addressed by the Ministry of Welfare, but it has been ignoring the problem all along. They are responsible for Latvia’s social budget. It is clear that social payments are often completely wasted. When studying the flow of social benefits, in some cases we would be able to identify that a person has a closer connection with the Russian Federation. However, if the money flows do not go through Latvian commercial banks, but through foreign banks, then it is practically impossible to check it.
Unofficial information says that during the last months Russia and Belarus have especially intensified the probing of the strength of Latvia’s border with the help of migrants. The creation of the infrastructure of the eastern border will be ready only in 2031. What steps are we taking to address this critical issue of our security?
If we talk about stopping migrants, Latvia has strengthened border surveillance by attracting more resources of the National Armed Forces. The recent military exercises are also aimed at showing the presence of the armed forces in guarding the eastern border. Neighboring countries have also given us support, similar to how we give them support in similar situations. The situation is complex and yet stable. We must continue to close the gaps in the border that have been there for a long time. Both the fence and the border strip should continue to be built. Recruitment of border guards should be taken care of.
Why are Russia and Belarus currently most actively testing Latvia’s border? Do they have any higher goals?
There are several reasons. Belarus has tested the borders of Latvia, Lithuania and Poland from time to time. The other nuance is that these migrants communicate with each other and also have supporters in Europe. Information has reached them that Latvia could be the easiest way to Europe. In contrast to many Western European countries, which weakly protect their borders, the response of Poland and the Baltic states to the challenges is an example for the whole of Europe, how to prevent mass immigration.
Currently, the border guard is under the political control of “New Unity”, the Ministry of Defense is under the control of “Progressives”. A question about the fate of your position as chairman of the NDK. If this post falls into the hands of the “Progressives”, it is very likely that a significantly more favorable regime can be expected both against migrants and against dual citizenship with Russia?
Yes. Such is the risk. The general course of the government can change from trying not to stop migrants, but, on the contrary, to invite them in. That risk remains. Of course.
What do you hear talking about the fate of the NDK chairman on the sidelines of politics?
This should be asked of other parties elected in the Saeima. For my part, I squat to do my job. Commission meetings are scheduled. Various amendments to the laws are under consideration. Last week, the Saeima adopted amendments that allow more precise identification of real estate owned by foreigners in Latvia in order to prevent sanctions violations. The issue of the House of Moscow should also be resolved in the autumn session. As long as I am the head of the commission, I will do my job to the fullest.
2023-10-04 02:20:28
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