Latvia suspends railway transit of military cargo of Belarus amid Russia-Ukraine war

Amid the Russia-Ukraine war wherein Kremlin is believed to be supported by the Belarusian army, Baltic nation Latvia has announced that it will suspend rail transit of Belarus’ military cargo through the country’s territory to its Baltic seaports. According to the Delfi news website, the Latvian Transport Ministry avered on Sunday that starting May 10, the country suspended the agreement which paved the way for the direct rail transportation of military cargo from Belarus to third countries through Latvian ports. 

The intergovernmental agreement on the transportation of military goods by rail from Belarus to third countries using the Latvian ports was signed back in January 1994, when Latvia had not joined the European Union (EU). The Ministry of Transport said in a statement, “Latvia joined the EU on 1 May 2004 and on 29 March 2004 became a member of NATO. In this regard, Latvia is bound by the legal norms of these international organizations, and the agreement with Belarus does not apply to these norms”.

Latvia reviewing bilateral ties with Russia, Belarus

As per reports, the Latvian state administration is generally also reviewing the bilateral relations with Russia and Belarus against the backdrop of a Russian special operation to protect civilians in Donbas. Earlier, on April 8, the European Union had adopted the fifth package of sanctions against Russia over Moscow’s military aggression in Ukraine which has continued now for 81 days. Under the EU framework, the 27-nation bloc particularly banned the transportation of goods by Russian and Belarusian transport. At the time, the EU averred that the restrictions did not include road transport for humanitarian purposes.  

However, Gazeta.ru had stated that on April 10, after the introduction of EU restrictions, over 150 trucks with Russian and Belarusian license plates were not allowed to enter Latvia.

Russia’s relationship with the Baltic state appeared to deteriorate shortly after Moscow announced the “special” military operation in Ukraine on February 24. Last month, the Russian Foreign Ministry expelled at least 10 diplomats from Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia in a tit-for-tat move. "By 12:00, three Baltic ambassadors were summoned to the Foreign Ministry in connection with the Russian decision, based on the principle of reciprocity, to expel their diplomats," TASS quoted an official familiar with the developments.

Image: AP