Latvian Political Monitor

From@AndrisKulbergs

There is a misunderstanding and incorrectly spread news/headlines in media = there is no threat to Latgale and no need to declare a state of emergency. It is just an unfortunate wording of the order's title and annotation from the document submitted by KEM @JanisVitenbergs on the TAP portal. The ministry document's text is misleading and ambiguous (it is a mistake, the minister will correct it), but reading it in detail one can clearly understand both its meaning and essence - to introduce a legal framework for action in yellow and orange warning situations. Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs' address to the public I want to clearly tell the people of Latvia: there is currently no reason for concern. Latvia's level of military threat has not changed. The risk of a direct military invasion threat to Latvia is currently low. This is confirmed by the information available to our security services, and the President of the State has also publicly emphasized this. Yes, we live in a time when Russia's war against Ukraine continues nearby. We must reckon with cyberattacks, sabotage attempts, provocations, drones, and other manifestations of hybrid warfare. That is why state services are operating in a heightened alert mode, we are strengthening the eastern border, and together with NATO allies we are continuously monitoring the situation. However, preparedness for a potential threat is not the same as an immediate threat. These two things must not be confused. Unfortunately, in recent days we see loud statements in the public space about "threats of escalation of Russia's military action" and the declaration of a state of emergency. Such formulations, detached from the actual security situation assessment, understandably raise questions and concern among people. I call on both ministries and politicians to be particularly responsible on this issue. Security is not a tool for pre-election rhetoric. One must not earn political points with people's fears. If any ministry needs a special legal framework to ensure the continuous operation of hospitals, energy supply, water management, or other critical infrastructure in the event of a threat, the government will evaluate such proposals and make necessary decisions. That is our duty. But technical and organizational state preparedness measures should not be presented to the public as if Latvia were on the brink of war. Latvia is a safe country. We are a NATO member state. Allied forces are stationed in Latvia. Our airspace is continuously monitored, the eastern border is being strengthened, and our security services work together with the allies. The government's task is to be ready even for the worst scenarios. That is precisely why we are strengthening state resilience and critical infrastructure. So my call to the people of Latvia: let us live our daily lives, be calm but vigilant. For politicians and state officials, my call is stricter - be responsible with what you say! I ask journalists before publishing claims to contact and clarify what is meant by the draft order in the Cabinet of Ministers system.

Open referenced post

From@AndrisKulbergs

There is a misunderstanding and incorrectly spread news/headlines in media = there is no threat to Latgale and no need to declare a state of emergency. It is just an unfortunate wording of the order's title and annotation from the document submitted by KEM @JanisVitenbergs on the TAP portal. The ministry document's text is misleading and ambiguous (it is a mistake, the minister will correct it), but reading it in detail one can clearly understand both its meaning and essence - to introduce a legal framework for action in yellow and orange warning situations. Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs' address to the public I want to clearly tell the people of Latvia: there is currently no reason for concern. Latvia's level of military threat has not changed. The risk of a direct military invasion threat to Latvia is currently low. This is confirmed by the information available to our security services, and the President of the State has also publicly emphasized this. Yes, we live in a time when Russia's war against Ukraine continues nearby. We must reckon with cyberattacks, sabotage attempts, provocations, drones, and other manifestations of hybrid warfare. That is why state services are operating in a heightened alert mode, we are strengthening the eastern border, and together with NATO allies we are continuously monitoring the situation. However, preparedness for a potential threat is not the same as an immediate threat. These two things must not be confused. Unfortunately, in recent days we see loud statements in the public space about "threats of escalation of Russia's military action" and the declaration of a state of emergency. Such formulations, detached from the actual security situation assessment, understandably raise questions and concern among people. I call on both ministries and politicians to be particularly responsible on this issue. Security is not a tool for pre-election rhetoric. One must not earn political points with people's fears. If any ministry needs a special legal framework to ensure the continuous operation of hospitals, energy supply, water management, or other critical infrastructure in the event of a threat, the government will evaluate such proposals and make necessary decisions. That is our duty. But technical and organizational state preparedness measures should not be presented to the public as if Latvia were on the brink of war. Latvia is a safe country. We are a NATO member state. Allied forces are stationed in Latvia. Our airspace is continuously monitored, the eastern border is being strengthened, and our security services work together with the allies. The government's task is to be ready even for the worst scenarios. That is precisely why we are strengthening state resilience and critical infrastructure. So my call to the people of Latvia: let us live our daily lives, be calm but vigilant. For politicians and state officials, my call is stricter - be responsible with what you say! I ask journalists before publishing claims to contact and clarify what is meant by the draft order in the Cabinet of Ministers system.

Open referenced post

From@AndrisKulbergs

There is a misunderstanding and incorrectly spread news/headlines in media = there is no threat to Latgale and no need to declare a state of emergency. It is just an unfortunate wording of the order's title and annotation from the document submitted by KEM @JanisVitenbergs on the TAP portal. The ministry document's text is misleading and ambiguous (it is a mistake, the minister will correct it), but reading it in detail one can clearly understand both its meaning and essence - to introduce a legal framework for action in yellow and orange warning situations. Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs' address to the public I want to clearly tell the people of Latvia: there is currently no reason for concern. Latvia's level of military threat has not changed. The risk of a direct military invasion threat to Latvia is currently low. This is confirmed by the information available to our security services, and the President of the State has also publicly emphasized this. Yes, we live in a time when Russia's war against Ukraine continues nearby. We must reckon with cyberattacks, sabotage attempts, provocations, drones, and other manifestations of hybrid warfare. That is why state services are operating in a heightened alert mode, we are strengthening the eastern border, and together with NATO allies we are continuously monitoring the situation. However, preparedness for a potential threat is not the same as an immediate threat. These two things must not be confused. Unfortunately, in recent days we see loud statements in the public space about "threats of escalation of Russia's military action" and the declaration of a state of emergency. Such formulations, detached from the actual security situation assessment, understandably raise questions and concern among people. I call on both ministries and politicians to be particularly responsible on this issue. Security is not a tool for pre-election rhetoric. One must not earn political points with people's fears. If any ministry needs a special legal framework to ensure the continuous operation of hospitals, energy supply, water management, or other critical infrastructure in the event of a threat, the government will evaluate such proposals and make necessary decisions. That is our duty. But technical and organizational state preparedness measures should not be presented to the public as if Latvia were on the brink of war. Latvia is a safe country. We are a NATO member state. Allied forces are stationed in Latvia. Our airspace is continuously monitored, the eastern border is being strengthened, and our security services work together with the allies. The government's task is to be ready even for the worst scenarios. That is precisely why we are strengthening state resilience and critical infrastructure. So my call to the people of Latvia: let us live our daily lives, be calm but vigilant. For politicians and state officials, my call is stricter - be responsible with what you say! I ask journalists before publishing claims to contact and clarify what is meant by the draft order in the Cabinet of Ministers system.

Open referenced post

From@AndrisKulbergs

This storm was a painful dress rehearsal for Latvia's and every person's readiness to overcome crisis situations. Thank you to firefighters, medics, police officers, electricity network crews, municipal workers, volunteers and everyone who is still working to help people and restore critical services. The storm showed an unpleasant truth: if electricity disappears over a wide area, many other critical everyday services also start to stop. Many of us were affected not only by the lack of electricity. Mobile communications and internet were disrupted, fuel stations, shops, ATMs, payment terminals and traffic lights did not work. Traffic and train movement were disrupted. In places, water supply and sewerage operations were endangered. Even operational services in some places had difficulty refueling their vehicles. The storm also revealed a problem with cash circulation. Without electricity and internet, card payments may not be possible, and ATMs do not work. Under these circumstances, cash becomes a critically important reserve means of payment. There must be a clear action plan by the state, banks and merchants on how to ensure the availability and circulation of cash during a crisis. People reported that in some shops, bread and drinking water ran out within three to four hours. We need to assess whether shops and logistics networks are ready for a rapid increase in demand and can ensure the supply of essential goods also when electricity, communications and electronic payments do not work. Equally important is the operation of pharmacies and the availability of medicines. What happens if a pharmacy has no electricity, internet or access to e-prescriptions? Where can a person get life-saving medicines? How is the public informed about working pharmacies? There must also be a clear crisis algorithm here, not improvisation after the event. Unfortunately, today I did not find a unified, comprehensible and regularly updated overview of the situation. People had to search for information themselves on the websites and social media accounts of various institutions, companies and municipalities. But during a crisis, a person must be able to get answers to very specific questions in one place: ❓ Where is there no electricity? ❓ Where are mobile communications and internet not working? ❓ Which roads are closed and where is public transport disrupted? ❓ Where is water supply and sewerage endangered? ❓ Which shops, fuel stations and pharmacies are operating? ❓ What exactly is being done? ❓ In what order are damages expected to be repaired and services restored? Such information must be unified, verified and regularly updated. At the same time, there should be a backup information solution for situations when people have no electricity, internet or mobile communications. Once the acute crisis phase has been overcome, I expect a comprehensive assessment from the Crisis Management Center on how the state overcame this crisis, what worked, what did not and what urgently needs to be improved. The assessment must conclude with a concrete action plan, specifying those responsible, deadlines and necessary investments. But responsibility is not only on the state. Also every Latvian household must critically assess whether we seriously took the previously distributed warnings and whether we can cope for at least 72 hours without electricity, internet, shop, ATM and immediate operational services help. Do we have drinking water, food, necessary medicines, a flashlight, batteries, a charged external battery, a radio and cash at home? Does the family have a comprehensible action plan? Do we know how we will help children, seniors, neighbours and people with special needs? This time it was a storm about which we received advance warnings. The next crisis may start without such warning. I am currently in Ukraine, where they have to deal with an identical situation every day. Yesterday I saw with my own eyes how crisis coordination systems are integrated into a military command center, where you can see every service online - VUGD, police, medicine, gas, municipal services, rescuers... all. I will bring this system to Latvia.

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