LATO: low trust in government an internal security issue of Latvia

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In Latvia, the biggest risks to security are due to the low confidence of residents in the government, General Secretary of Latvian Transatlantic Organisation (LATO) Sigita Struberga said in an interview to Latvian Radio on February 11.

In the current geopolitical situation, the risks to security in Latvia are related to the low confidence of the population in the government and, in general, the government authorities at the national level.

“Imagine that if there is a major crisis and people do not trust what the government says, then following the instructions of the government will not take place as necessary. So I think it's the most important thing,” Struberga said.

The second challenge, she believes, is access to media messages for all audiences. Strengthening regional media could also contribute to this. "It is often heard [in remote areas] that all is basically Riga news, Riga's view of what was happening in the regions," Struberga said.

In times of crisis, it is also necessary that messages be delivered in Russian. “There is no question here that the Latvian language would be in any way threatened. But there are situations where it is necessary to bring this message to a person in a way that they understand. And a crisis is such a situation,” Struberga said.

She also focused on the possibilities for municipal action. “Local governments, in general, have limited options to counter a variety of hybrid hazards altogether, including informative threats,” Struberga said.

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