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Latvia notifies Russian embassy about termination of agreement on memorials

Last week, the country's parliament passed in the final reading the corresponding bill

VILNIUS, May 16. /TASS/. Latvia’s foreign ministry has notified the Russian embassy about the termination of article 13 of the bilateral agreement with Russia on memorials and monuments, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said on Monday.

"I have referred to the Russian embassy a note on the termination of article 13 of the agreement between the Latvian and Russian governments on social protection of Russian military pensioners and their family members (which regulates issues of taking care of memorials and monuments - TASS)," he wrote on his Twitter account.

Last week, Latvia's parliament, the Saeima, passed in the final reading a bill on the termination of this article, which relieves the Latvian side of responsibilities for the care of WWII memorial structures and mass burial sites. This bill provides legal grounds for demolishing the monument to Soviet soldiers in Riga. On Friday, the Riga City Council supported the idea of demolishing the monument.

On May 14, the Russian Investigative Committee promised to analyze this decision and give it a legal assessment.

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