Text of report by Latvian internet portal politika.lv on 22 July
[Commentary by Viktors Makarovs: "Medvedev's Foreign Policy Pedals"]
Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev has approved a new foreign policy concept for his country. The document does not represent a "plan for movement" in Russian foreign policy. Rather, it represents a set of signals as to how Russia sees its priorities and interests in the world. And yet the concept does allow one to come up with a few conclusions which affect Latvia's interests, too.
The document says that Russia is "tended towards cooperation" with the Baltic States, but the issue of Russian speaking residents of Latvia "continues to be of fundamental importance." This is nothing new, unless we compare this formulation to the strategy which Russia's government approved in 2000. It stated that "respect for Russia's interests, including the fundamental issue of the rights of Russian speaking residents" was "a mandatory prerequisite" for improving relations. This is a notable difference, particularly given developments over the last few years. The situation of Russian speaking residents in Latvia has not changed substantially since 2000, but the political relationship between Russia and Latvia has improved. A border treaty has been concluded, other agreements are being prepared, the tone of the discussion has changed, and so on. The conclusion here is that the "clause on the rights of Russian speakers" does not mean that in Moscow's eyes, the current situation is an obstacle against the ongoing normalization of the relationship. Rather it is probably a signal for the Baltic States - if Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia were to take steps in other areas which are "unfriendly" for Russia, then the concern for the situation of Russian speaking people in our neighbouring country may suddenly increase once again.
This new foreign policy concept, compared to the previous one, is more extensive and specific in terms of defending the interests of fellow Russians ("sootechestvenniki"). Russia promises to defend the interests of fellow Russians and Russian citizens, facilitate the consolidation of their organizations, help the Russian Diaspora to preserve its ethno-linguistic identity and its links to the historical homeland. The conceptual document also speaks to the idea of the "Russian world" ("russkiy mir"). A favourable interpretation would be that this represents a desire to globalize Russian cultural and linguistic values, as well as a natural wish to fulfil the moral obligation of supporting fellow Russians. An unfavourable interpretation would create suspicion that Russia wants to increase its political influence on the Russian Diaspora.
Effects on Latvia
What does the concept of the "Russian world" mean in Latvia's context? That depends on what kind of support there will be.