Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06RIGA699
2006-08-31 10:39:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Riga
Cable title:  

BORIS YELTSIN'S VISIT TO LATVIA

Tags:  PREL PGOV RU LG 
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RR RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHRA #0699/01 2431039
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 311039Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY RIGA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3288
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RIGA 000699 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/31/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV RU LG
SUBJECT: BORIS YELTSIN'S VISIT TO LATVIA


Classified By: Charge d'affaires a.i. Phillip L. Antweiler

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RIGA 000699

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/31/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV RU LG
SUBJECT: BORIS YELTSIN'S VISIT TO LATVIA


Classified By: Charge d'affaires a.i. Phillip L. Antweiler


1. (C) Summary: Boris Yeltsin's visit to Latvia to mark 15
years since the restoration of independence is viewed by GOL
officials as another positive sign in relations with Moscow.
Originally a private visit, both Latvian and Russian sources
agree that it was upgraded at the request of President Putin.
While hard-line nationalists on both sides in Latvia were
negative on the warm reception given to Yeltsin, the
mainstream views were positive. Yeltsin was critical of
Latvian perceptions of Russia in a news conference, but his
point was that the current Russian Federation should not be
held liable for the errors of the Soviet Union and the
comments did not detract from the visit's success. While
positive about the visit and other Russian moves, GOL
officials remain cautious about predicting any breakthrough
in relations with Russia. End summary.


2. (C) Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin visited Latvia
August 22 - 24, his first visit since the collapse of the
Soviet Union. Pol/econ chief discussed his visit with
Andrejs Pildegovics, Chief of Staff to President
Vike-Freiberga, Peteris Ustubs, foreign policy advisor to PM
Kalvitis, and Oleg Osintsev, pol external counselor at the
Russian Embassy, who was the Embassy's control officer for
Yeltsin. In addition to his formal program, Yeltsin had a
number of private meetings with Latvians who were his
contemporaries in the late-80's and in the 1990's.
Pildegovics and Ustubs both noted that Yeltsin was sharp
throughout and often spoke to the public or in meetings
without notes, but both commented that Yeltsin became visibly
tired over the course of each day.


3. (C) The purpose of the visit was for Yeltsin to receive
Latvia's highest award, the Order of Three Stars, for his
role in recognizing Baltic independence in August 1991. The
decoration had originally been awarded to him in 2000, but at
the time Yeltsin refused to come to Riga to receive the
award, complaining that Latvia was "rewriting history" and
committing "gross violations of human rights" in its
treatment of its ethnic Russian population. President

Vike-Freiberga quietly reached out earlier in the year and
suggested a private visit to receive the award on the 15th
anniversary of the events of August 1991. Yeltsin accepted.
As the visit drew nearer, it received some official sanction
from the Kremlin, with Pildegovics saying it was clear from
the official plane and security escort that Putin had signed
off on the plan. Osintsev told us that Putin reached out to
Yeltsin to ask him to make the trip.


4. (C) Upon receiving the award, Yeltsin explained away his
2000 comments as "a diplomatic misunderstanding." According
to Pildegovics, in his private meeting with Vike-Freiberga,
Yeltsin did raise the status of the Russian population,
especially those who have not been naturalized. The
President responded that, under Latvian law, it was no longer
for people who acquire Latvian citizenship to retain a second
citizenship. Yeltsin also raised the border treaty,
signature on which was delayed when the Latvians attempted to
add a preamble Moscow found offensive. Pildegovics said it
seemed that Yeltsin was concerned that Latvia was delaying
the treaty to claim a small strip of land along the border,
but Latvia made clear in their EU and NATO accession
documents that they make no such claim. For the rest of
meeting, Yeltsin was very anti-Soviet in his remarks and
highly critical of Gorbachev.


5. (C) Yeltsin spent a large amount of time with PM Kalvitis,
having dinner together on two nights, traveling to the
800-year old town of Cesis in central Latvia, and spending
several hours fishing outside Cesis. According to Ustubs
this was done to fill Yeltsin's schedule with time with GOL
officials to show the Latvian commitment to better relations
with Russia and also to preempt attempts by the Russian
Embassy to add in meetings with some of the harder-line
Russian groups here. (Comment: It had the added benefit of
keeping Yeltsin out of Riga on August 23, the anniversary of
the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, when several
protests were held outside the Russian Embassy. End
comment.) Ustubs described the interaction between Yeltsin
and Kalvitis as friendly and relaxed. When they were in
Cesis, several hundred people came out to see Yeltsin and
shake his hand. Yeltsin commented to Kalvitis that it was
the warmest reception he had received in some time and far
kinder than his usual greetings within Russia.


6. (U) Before leaving, Yeltsin held a press conference, where
participation was limited only to the less reputable press.
The major Latvian and Russian language dailies and the TV
stations were not invited. To this audience, Yeltsin
complained of Latvian claims of occupation by Russia. He
stridently rebutted that it was the Soviet Union that had
wronged Latvia and not Russia, pointing out that it was he as

RIGA 00000699 002.3 OF 002


President of Russia who had recognized Baltic independence.
His comments did not receive widespread coverage. Overall,
press coverage of the visit was positive, with the main
centrist Latvian language daily Diena arguing that Yeltsin
had not received enough credit for all he had done for Latvia
in restoring independence.


7. (C) Comment: There was plenty of potential for trouble in
this visit and the fact that it happened without significant
incident is important in and of itself. Hard-liners on both
sides of Latvia's ethnic divide opposed the visit; Latvians
because they did not think the State should honor any Russian
until apology and reparations are made for the Soviet
occupation, and Russians who believe that Yeltsin betrayed
them both by recognizing Latvia's independence and by pulling
out Russian troops before there were full guarantees for the
rights of the Russian population. But the sensible center
held. Yeltsin left in a positive light and even his comments
on occupation were recognized by many as being in line with
his strong anti-Soviet views rather than an attempt to attack
Latvia. Everyone wants the credit for avoiding the meetings
with the Russian population here, with the Embassy saying
that they wanted Yeltsin to focus on the economic
relationship. More likely, both sides recognized that given
the views of Yeltsin among the Russian population here, such
a meeting could easily descend into acrimony. The Latvians
view positively the obvious role the Kremlin played in this
visit, but remain very cautious about trying to guess whether
this portends any warming of relations. As one Latvian
official said, "We're showing that we can handle these visits
well. We know Moscow is watching. We don't know what they
plan to do next."
Antweiler