Paul
Goble
Staunton, September 16 – The Russian
government is laying the groundwork for a Ukrainian scenario in the Baltic
countries, arguing that the three are mistreating ethnic Russians, that the
West has failed to oppose such actions, and that Moscow is compelled under the
circumstances to work to protect these members of “the Russian world.”
Konstantin Dolgov, the Russian
Foreign Ministry’s special representative for human rights, democracy and the
rule of law, advanced that argument in the course of a Regional Conference of
Russian Compatriots of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia held in Riga last weekend (mid.ru/brp_4.nsf/newsline/0AD973C5C78C12B944257D5400382B03).
Among Dolgov’s main points are the following:
“The defense of the
rights and lawful interests of our compatriots abroad is one of the priority
fields of activity of the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation -- on
which we work actively and proactively.”
“Unfortunately, it is
necessary to state that an enormous number of our compatriots abroad, entire
segments of the Russian World, continue to encounter serious problems in the
context of securing their rights and legal interests. One of the most obvious
and vital reasons for this is the unrelenting growth of xenophobic and neo-Nazi
tendencies in the world and their consequent, deep penetration into the
consciousness of the political establishments in many foreign states.
“Among the main concerns
in the context of the growth of manifestations of neo-Nazism and xenophobia in
Europe, according to international experts and human rights advocates, is the
tendency to legalize ultraright parties and the general growth of xenophobia
and intolerance in regard to national minorities and migrants with the
connivance of law enforcement agencies.
The dramatic development
of events in Ukraine clearly attests to the correctness of this thesis. I
remind you that one of the first steps taken by the parliament of that country
immediately following the anticonstitutional coup and the armed seizure of
power in Kyiv in February of this year was the repealing of the law On the
Foundations of State Language Policy from July 2, 2012, which established the
status of the regional Russian language,
“Now I would like to
focus on one essential and clear instance that, in many ways, might explain
European Union's neglect of the human rights situation. The forces in the EU in
this sphere have traditionally focused primarily on third countries … the
European Commission stubbornly maintains its unwillingness to intervene in the
situation of the massive violation of the rights of the Russian-speaking
population of the countries of the Baltic region under the excuse of a lack of
jurisdiction. In Brussels they do not want to admit or deal with, for instance,
the clearly intentional deviation of the Latvian authorities from the
observation of universal human rights norms and standards.
“We all know well the
real scope of the problems with human rights and the rule of law that our
compatriots encounter in the Baltic states. This topic is constantly at the
center of attention and activity of the Foreign Ministry of the Russian
Federation.
“We think it is
unacceptable to justify marches of former SS legionnaires in Riga, meetings of
veterans of the 20th Waffen SS division in Estonia, or ceremonial, with state
honors, funerals for legionnaires/Nazi war criminals from the World War II era.
We consider it a shame for Europe and an insult to the memory of those who died
defending the world from "the Brown Plague." Elevating Nazi criminals
and their collaborators, responsible for the intentional murder of millions of
peaceful Europeans, nearly to the status of "freedom fighters" is the
peak of cynicism.
“The problem of the mass
deprivation of citizenship in Latvia and Estonia remains a serious one. We
consider it an unacceptable situation when a significant portion of the
population of these countries lacks fundamental political and socioeconomic
rights. We demand that the international community put decisive pressure on the
governments of Latvia and Estonia so that this shameful phenomenon will be once
and for all eliminated from Europe.
“We will not be
reconciled to the creeping restriction of the Russian language that we are
observing in the Baltic states. We consider the well-known measures taken by
the Latvian and Estonian governments aimed at reducing the status and position
of the Russian language to be a gross violation of fundamental, universal norms
in the realm of human rights. The official declaration from Riga that a Russian
school that has existed on Latvian soil since 1789 must be completely
liquidated by 2018 is unacceptable to the civilized world.
“The international
community must decisively prevent the further gross restriction of the rights
of the Russian-speaking population of the Baltic countries and the worsening of
already alarmingly politicized Russophobia.
“Respected
colleagues! Your role -- the role of civic organizations and structures -- at
the current stage of international development is constantly growing. This is a
very important circumstance that must be viewed with proper attention. I wish
you all successful work, a martial spirit, and the preservation of the true
priorities and strategic vision that unites us all. For my part, I want to
assure you that we will, without reducing our effort, continue serious
proactive work in the leading international forums with our foreign partners
and colleagues in order to give you and your work the most serious support.” (From the translation made by Robert Coalson, the full
text of which is available at facebook.com/notes/robert-coalson/k-dolgovs-speech-to-russian-compatriots-in-the-baltic-states-september-13-2014/10152351116608597.)
Three things make Dolgov’s words
both significant and disturbing: First, it represents a new ramping up of an
old Moscow tactic of trying to undercut Western support for the Baltic
countries all of whom are members of both the European Union and NATO by talking
about their treatment of ethnic Russians and Russian speakers, a tactic that
has often worked in the past.
Second, he explicitly linked the
situation in the Baltic countries to what happened in Ukraine after the Maidan
earlier this year, pointing out that Kyiv’s decisions on the status of the
Russian language there had “unfortunate” and “far-reaching” consequences. Moreover,
such complaints about treatment of Russian speakers in Ukraine preceded the
Russian invasion.
And third, Dolgov openly encouraged
ethnic Russians and Russian speakers in the Baltic states to become more
active, promising that Moscow will support them. While some might be inclined to dismiss this
as nothing more than a propagandistic exercise, there are unfortunately
compelling reasons to think that it is more than that.
Yesterday, Latvian television
reported that residents of Latgale, a predominantly Russian-speaking region in
southeastern Latvia near the Russian border, are reporting that the Russian
embassy in Riga has been recruiting Russian speakers in Latvia, including
recently released criminals, to fight for the Russian insurgents in Ukraine (nr2.com.ua/News/Lithuania_and_Baltics/SMI-Latvii-Posolstvo-Rossii-verbuet-naemnikov-k-terroristam-DNR-i-LNR-80005.html).
Pro-Russian
groups in Latvia like the “Russian Union” say they “understand those residents
of Latvia who want to fight in the Donbas in order to defend Russians there.”
But so far they have been careful to say that there are no plans to have them
fight on behalf of a similar cause in Latvia itself.
But such
reports are inflaming the situation because it is all too easy to imagine how
Russians in Latvia to fight on the pro-Moscow side in Ukraine could be redirected
to fight for a pro-Moscow side in Latvia itself, especially given Dolgov’s
suggestions about the need to defend Russians and Russian speakers there.
One Latvian
Russian expressed her fears about this possibility to a Riga television
channel. She said: “I think that this could happen also with us! Why are they
going there? They must not be released. Someone must stop them. I consider that
they are enemies of Latvia.” And she concluded that she found the entire
situation “horrific.”
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