The prime minister's interesting and undoubtedly accurate analogy came in an interview with Latvian Radio on Friday morning, in which she was asked whether constant reassurances in the public sphere that Latvia is safe and the Eastern border is secure might have the unintended effect of making people feel less secure than if they weren't reassured quite so often.
"We live next to a neighbor who, you could say, is like an alcoholic or an addict, whose actions we cannot predict. We must be aware that we live next to Russia, [and] Belarus. Russia has started a war in Ukraine, and we are acting according to a clear scenario. We have built a land border with Belarus, we are currently building a border with Russia as well. We are strengthening the military capabilities of our border. We are following a clear plan."
The Prime Minister admitted that people sometimes live "in their own bubbles and their own realities", therefore she called on the National Armed Forces (NBS) to keep the regional as well as national press informed about what work will be done on the eastern border of the country "because not everyone reads social networks or press releases".
"We are strengthening ourselves so that our defensive capabilities are unified throughout the Baltics. And these visual changes are actually already visible and will be visible even more during this year," emphasized the Prime Minister.
According to Siliņa, the fact that the armed forces widely disseminated a release in which they told people not worry is not a reason to worry, and was a reaction to the familiar sorts of propagada attempted by the Russian regime against the Baltic states.
"Putin speaks every year before supposed 'elections' and he tries to frighten the surrounding countries," the prime minister explained.
She reiterated that mandatory military service has been restored in Latvia, funding for defense has been greatly increased, and therefore "we have no reason to blame ourselves for not doing enough" to strengthen our security and defense.
LSM notes that Russian president Valdimir Putin is generally regarded as being teetotal or near-teetotal in his drinking habits, so doesn't even have the excuse of being actually intoxicated to explain his actions.
