David McDuff posts what a Russian MP says about Russia-Latvia relations being the worst out of all near abroad countries. Here is the part he posted, and what I consider very interesting:

“This isn’t Russia’s choice, it’s Latvia’s,” he stressed. He said “calls to normalize relations have not been heeded by the Latvian side”. “We can see this in the example of the campaign of provocation unleashed in Latvia in connection with the approach of the 60th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War ÄWorld War IIÅ,” the MP said. Kosachev said the international affairs committee is closely following the situation in Latvia. “We have already adopted an appropriate committee statement on the provocation inherent in the Latvian leadership’s comments about Russia,” he added. It would seem, the deputy said, that this is the Latvian side’s attempt to have the Latvian president’s invitation to attend 60th victory celebrations cancelled. “I think, however, that the Latvian president should come to Moscow,” the MP said. “The leaders of the Baltic countries must realize that their political drive to review the results of World War II are totally at odds with the prevailing mood in today’s Europe.”

Now, Latvia’s president will not commemorate VE-Day with Russia because most Latvians — the non-Russian ones — see it as the day they lost Nazism and gained Stalinism. So why should they celebrate? Russia, however, desperate to gain the recognition of its past spheres of influence, is stepping up the combative rhetoric because Latvia is refusing to do so. Read what the MP is saying though. Doesn’t it seem so twisted and illogical that it makes the guy sound desperate?

That is a strange thing about Russia. It seems that whenever a country does not take Russia’s side, it is automatically anti-Russia. If it is pro-EU, then it is anti-Russia. If it is pro-Russia, then it absolutely must not side at all with anyone else. Of course, this policy and way of thinking is bunk. This pathetic way of trying — and failing — to control other countries just doesn’t work anymore, and Russia would be much better off accepting that countries who do business with the EU and America want to do business just as much with Russia. It’s just that they can’t because they are being forced to choose one side or another, when in this world, you’re on the side of whoever gives you the best deal.