Latvia is to impose national sanctions against Usmanov and Friedman

This is stated in a declaration by the Latvian government on 22 September, according to “European Pravda”.

The Latvian Cabinet of Ministers has instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to immediately prepare a proposal, a legal justification and the necessary draft legislation so that Latvia can impose national sanctions against Usmanov and Friedman.

“Latvia will continue to use all legal instruments at its disposal to prevent the unfreezing of these individuals’ funds and economic resources in Latvia,” the government statement reads.

It is also reported that the Cabinet of Ministers, at a closed-door meeting on Tuesday, agreed on Latvia’s course of action regarding the extension of European Union sanctions against russia. The agreement reached ensures that individual sanctions against more than 2,600 russian pro-war figures and their associated individuals and organisations will be extended for the next three years, whereas previously such a decision had to be taken every six months.

At the same time, during the decision-making process in the Council of the European Union, the Latvian representative will abstain from voting, thereby maintaining and publicly expressing Latvia’s political disagreement regarding the removal of both individuals from the EU sanctions list.

“Throughout the entire negotiation process with the leaders of EU Member States, Latvia opposed the removal of politically motivated individuals from the list of individual sanctions and was the only EU Member State to do so right up to the very end. This was the morally correct position, and our allies in Ukraine appreciated it,” said Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs.

He added that “it was not a choice between a good and a bad decision, but between a bad one and a much worse one – the prospect of having to choose between changing the status of two individuals and the future of the entire sanctions regime”.

“By deciding to advocate for the continued imposition of sanctions against these individuals, we have achieved an outcome that is more beneficial for Latvia, Ukraine and Europe in the long term,” said the Latvian Prime Minister.

Source: Ministru kabinets, European Pravda