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OSW Commentary | | Bartosz Chmielewski
Due to its negative natural increase and emigration, Latvia is one of the fastest depopulating countries in the world, losing 18,000–20,000 inhabitants annually – the equivalent of a medium-sized Latvian town. Although the country’s…
OSW Commentary | | Bartosz Chmielewski, Jacek Tarociński
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 reinforced the sense of threat from Russia in the Baltic states, and spurred them to speed up the implementation of their national defence policies. Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia…
OSW Commentary | | Bartosz Chmielewski
The Russian invasion of Ukraine marked the beginning of a new chapter in the Latvian state’s policy towards the Russian-speaking minority which accounts for around a third of the country’s population. The shock caused by the Russia’s…
Analyses | | Bartosz Chmielewski
On 15 September, the Latvian parliament (Saeima) gave a vote of confidence to the government of Prime Minister Evika Siliņa: 53 out of 100 MPs were in favour while 39 voted against. The new cabinet will be formed by three political forces…
OSW Commentary | | Bartosz Chmielewski, Jacek Tarociński
The migratory pressure on the Polish, Lithuanian and Latvian borders with Belarus which has been ongoing since mid-2021, as well as Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, have spurred the Baltic states and Finland to ramp up their…
Analyses | | Piotr Żochowski, Joanna Hyndle-Hussein, Bartosz Chmielewski
The meeting of the Security Council of the Republic of Belarus held on 31 August 2023 was devoted to the “tense international situation”, and included an assessment of threats present on the border with Poland and the Baltic states.…
Analyses | | Bartosz Chmielewski
On 31 May, the Latvian parliament elected Edgars Rinkēvičs as president. The long-time foreign minister’s candidacy was put forward by the ruling New Unity party of Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš. Rinkēvičs was only elected in the third…
OSW Commentary | | Bartosz Chmielewski
Latvia’s economic situation is gradually deteriorating due to its uneven development. One of the main reasons for this is that the metropolis of Riga accounts for as much as two-thirds of the country’s economic growth. Economic and social…
Analyses | | Bartosz Chmielewski
On 14 December, the Latvian Parliament (Saeima) gave a vote of confidence to the government of Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš. The new cabinet was supported by 54 out of 100 parliamentarians, with 37 opposed. This ended the two-and-a-half…
Analyses | | Bartosz Chmielewski
On 6 September, the Latvian government adopted proposal from the Defence Ministry regarding the establishment of the state defence service (Valsts aizsardzības dienests, VAD), one element of which is to be annual military service, to be…