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Military drills

Envoy cautions Latvia against any hysterics over upcoming West-2017 drills

Moscow has stressed that the drills are purely defensive in nature

© Alexei Druzhinin/TASS

RIGA, August 31. /TASS/. Riga should not exaggerate potential threats from the upcoming Russian-Belarusian military drills West-2017 due in September, Latvia’s Ambassador to Russia Maris Riekstins said on Thursday.

"This is not the first such exercise of Russia and Belarus conducted near our borders. Over the past six years, several such drills have been carried out. I think we should not exaggerate fears about them. We should be vigilant, but we do not need to be hysterical," the ambassador told national television.

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Riekstins called the invitations by Russia and Belarus to send Latvia’s monitors to the drills a positive gesture. He noted however that Riga wants these maneuvers to be more transparent. "There is nothing unusual or outstanding about this exercise. Each country, including Belarus, Russia or Latvia, has the right to develop its defensive capabilities by carrying out these drills. What we want is to have more transparency," the ambassador stressed.

Earlier, Latvia received an official invitation from Moscow and Minsk to send three of its monitors to the drills. Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics raised concerns over possible provocations during the exercise. President Raimonds Vejonis said the maneuvers create additional tension in the region, but pose no direct military threat to Latvia and other Baltic states. Meanwhile, Latvia’s State Police announced plans to step up security and called on the organizers not to carry out games with military simulation.

The West-2017 joint strategic exercise is scheduled for September 14-20. Some 12,700 troops and 680 pieces of military equipment are expected to take part. Some Western countries have expressed concerns over the upcoming maneuvers. Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin earlier said that the reports of an alleged ‘Russian threat’ in the wake of West-2017 military exercises have nothing to do with reality. He insisted that the drills are purely defensive in nature.

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