On Thursday, January 11, the Saeima decided to take possession of the so-called “Moscow House”, which until now belonged to the Moscow municipality.
The Latvian Parliament based this decision on national security interests, because “Moscow House” has been used since its founding as a support point for Russian and anti-Latvian influence measures.
The Saeima's decision has caused Russian outrage.
“All responsibility, including material responsibility, for such illegality lies entirely with the Latvian authorities and the leadership of this country. The steps of Russia's response will be harsh and very painful for Latvia,” said Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs official spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
The Russian Embassy in Latvia has also published a comment on the Saeima's decision.
“We regard the decision of the national Parliament of Latvia as a legal act of offense and, in essence, of state robbery. This grossly violates international law principles that guarantee the integrity of other countries' property,” said the aggressor country's embassy.
