VZCZCXRO0111
RR RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHRA #0699/01 2431039
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 311039Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY RIGA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3288
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RIGA 000699 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/31/2016 
TAGS: PREL PGOV RU LG
SUBJECT: BORIS YELTSIN'S VISIT TO LATVIA 
 
 
Classified By: Charge d'affaires a.i. Phillip L. Antweiler 
 
¶1. (C) Summary: Boris Yeltsin's visit to Latvia to mark 15 
years since the restoration of independence is viewed by GOL 
officials as another positive sign in relations with Moscow. 
Originally a private visit, both Latvian and Russian sources 
agree that it was upgraded at the request of President Putin. 
 While hard-line nationalists on both sides in Latvia were 
negative on the warm reception given to Yeltsin, the 
mainstream views were positive.  Yeltsin was critical of 
Latvian perceptions of Russia in a news conference, but his 
point was that the current Russian Federation should not be 
held liable for the errors of the Soviet Union and the 
comments did not detract from the visit's success.  While 
positive about the visit and other Russian moves, GOL 
officials remain cautious about predicting any breakthrough 
in relations with Russia.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (C) Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin visited Latvia 
August 22 - 24, his first visit since the collapse of the 
Soviet Union.  Pol/econ chief discussed his visit with 
Andrejs Pildegovics, Chief of Staff to President 
Vike-Freiberga, Peteris Ustubs, foreign policy advisor to PM 
Kalvitis, and Oleg Osintsev, pol external counselor at the 
Russian Embassy, who was the Embassy's control officer for 
Yeltsin.  In addition to his formal program, Yeltsin had a 
number of private meetings with Latvians who were his 
contemporaries in the late-80's and in the 1990's. 
Pildegovics and Ustubs both noted that Yeltsin was sharp 
throughout and often spoke to the public or in meetings 
without notes, but both commented that Yeltsin became visibly 
tired over the course of each day. 
 
¶3. (C) The purpose of the visit was for Yeltsin to receive 
Latvia's highest award, the Order of Three Stars, for his 
role in recognizing Baltic independence in August 1991.  The 
decoration had originally been awarded to him in 2000, but at 
the time Yeltsin refused to come to Riga to receive the 
award, complaining that Latvia was "rewriting history" and 
committing "gross violations of human rights" in its 
treatment of its ethnic Russian population.  President 
Vike-Freiberga quietly reached out earlier in the year and 
suggested a private visit to receive the award on the 15th 
anniversary of the events of August 1991.  Yeltsin accepted. 
As the visit drew nearer, it received some official sanction 
from the Kremlin, with Pildegovics saying it was clear from 
the official plane and security escort that Putin had signed 
off on the plan.  Osintsev told us that Putin reached out to 
Yeltsin to ask him to make the trip. 
 
¶4. (C) Upon receiving the award, Yeltsin explained away his 
2000 comments as "a diplomatic misunderstanding."  According 
to Pildegovics, in his private meeting with Vike-Freiberga, 
Yeltsin did raise the status of the Russian population, 
especially those who have not been naturalized.  The 
President responded that, under Latvian law, it was no longer 
for people who acquire Latvian citizenship to retain a second 
citizenship.  Yeltsin also raised the border treaty, 
signature on which was delayed when the Latvians attempted to 
add a preamble Moscow found offensive.  Pildegovics said it 
seemed that Yeltsin was concerned that Latvia was delaying 
the treaty to claim a small strip of land along the border, 
but Latvia made clear in their EU and NATO accession 
documents that they make no such claim.  For the rest of 
meeting, Yeltsin was very anti-Soviet in his remarks and 
highly critical of Gorbachev. 
 
¶5. (C) Yeltsin spent a large amount of time with PM Kalvitis, 
having dinner together on two nights, traveling to the 
800-year old town of Cesis in central Latvia, and spending 
several hours fishing outside Cesis.  According to Ustubs 
this was done to fill Yeltsin's schedule with time with GOL 
officials to show the Latvian commitment to better relations 
with Russia and also to preempt attempts by the Russian 
Embassy to add in meetings with some of the harder-line 
Russian groups here.  (Comment: It had the added benefit of 
keeping Yeltsin out of Riga on August 23, the anniversary of 
the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, when several 
protests were held outside the Russian Embassy.  End 
comment.)  Ustubs described the interaction between Yeltsin 
and Kalvitis as friendly and relaxed.  When they were in 
Cesis, several hundred people came out to see Yeltsin and 
shake his hand.  Yeltsin commented to Kalvitis that it was 
the warmest reception he had received in some time and far 
kinder than his usual greetings within Russia. 
 
¶6. (U) Before leaving, Yeltsin held a press conference, where 
participation was limited only to the less reputable press. 
The major Latvian and Russian language dailies and the TV 
stations were not invited.  To this audience, Yeltsin 
complained of Latvian claims of occupation by Russia.  He 
stridently rebutted that it was the Soviet Union that had 
wronged Latvia and not Russia, pointing out that it was he as 
 
RIGA 00000699  002.3 OF 002 
 
 
President of Russia who had recognized Baltic independence. 
His comments did not receive widespread coverage.  Overall, 
press coverage of the visit was positive, with the main 
centrist Latvian language daily Diena arguing that Yeltsin 
had not received enough credit for all he had done for Latvia 
in restoring independence. 
 
¶7. (C) Comment: There was plenty of potential for trouble in 
this visit and the fact that it happened without significant 
incident is important in and of itself.  Hard-liners on both 
sides of Latvia's ethnic divide opposed the visit; Latvians 
because they did not think the State should honor any Russian 
until apology and reparations are made for the Soviet 
occupation, and Russians who believe that Yeltsin betrayed 
them both by recognizing Latvia's independence and by pulling 
out Russian troops before there were full guarantees for the 
rights of the Russian population.  But the sensible center 
held.  Yeltsin left in a positive light and even his comments 
on occupation were recognized by many as being in line with 
his strong anti-Soviet views rather than an attempt to attack 
Latvia.  Everyone wants the credit for avoiding the meetings 
with the Russian population here, with the Embassy saying 
that they wanted Yeltsin to focus on the economic 
relationship.  More likely, both sides recognized that given 
the views of Yeltsin among the Russian population here, such 
a meeting could easily descend into acrimony.  The Latvians 
view positively the obvious role the Kremlin played in this 
visit, but remain very cautious about trying to guess whether 
this portends any warming of relations.  As one Latvian 
official said, "We're showing that we can handle these visits 
well.  We know Moscow is watching.  We don't know what they 
plan to do next." 
Antweiler