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Russia, Latvia may sign border deal in late March - foreign min

Other News Materials 7 March 2007 16:55 (UTC +04:00)

( RIA Novosti ) - Russia and Latvia may sign a border treaty in Moscow later this month settling their long-running territorial dispute, Russia's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.

EU member Latvia has decided to recognize the post-Soviet borders with Russia, backtracking on its earlier territorial claims on a district in the neighboring Russian region of Pskov, which was part of the Baltic state before WWII.

"Yesterday, the Latvian government unequivocally rejected any territorial claims and emphasized its commitment to the OSCE [Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe] principle of the inviolability of borders," the ministry said.

The ministry said the date for signing the treaty was being discussed with Latvia following "the new development."

The border treaty drafted back in 1997 has remained unsigned and unratified after Latvia added a unilateral declaration allowing it to claim the Russian territory and demanded Russia acknowledge Soviet aggression in the Baltic state during World War II. Russia has rejected both demands.

In January, Latvian authorities said they would not be adding anything to the treaty.

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