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Moscow calls Latvian top diplomat’s comparison of Russia with Third Reich profane

The Russian Forein Ministry commented on Latvian foreign minister's comparison of Russia with German Reich of both the First and Second World Wars

© ITAR-TASS/Gennady Khamelyanin

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Statements by Latvia’s top diplomat his personal view, not country’s stance — Latvian PM

MOSCOW, April 7. /TASS/. Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics’ comparison of Russia with Germany’s Third Reich was a profane statement, which deserves no comments whatsoever, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated on Tuesday.

"Hardly such profane comparisons deserve any commentary at all and it should be left resting within the conscience of the Latvian foreign minister," the Russian Foreign Ministry wrote on its FaceBook account. "We believe that injections of such content are a matter of [medical] diagnosis."

Latvian top diplomat wrote on its Twitter account on Monday: "The more I follow modern RU, the more I come to conclusion that she will end up like German Reich after both WWI & WWII & it'll be too late."

Latvia’s Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma told Latvian television on Tuesday that the harsh remarks by Edgars Rinkevics with regard to Russia are his personal opinion rather than Latvia’s official stance.

"It’s difficult for me to talk about the reasons why he wrote that. I myself read his statement in Twitter yesterday. It was too strong a statement. But this is his personal opinion," the premier said. "Of course, the foreign minister officially represents the opinion of Latvia. But I emphasize that this is a view expressed in social networks, not Latvia’s official stance but a personal opinion of Edgars Rinkevics. I was even surprised when I read it. Today we’ll discuss with him what he writes in social networks," she added.

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Foreign policy Latvia World War II

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