Uzbekistan: Latvia Does Not Plan to Change Visa Rules for Its Citizens
Uzbekistan's Foreign Ministry says Latvia has decided to keep its current visa procedures after diplomatic talks. The issue arose after Latvia's interior minister proposed temporarily restricting visas for Uzbek citizens.
Latvia does not plan to change its current visa issuance procedure for Uzbek citizens, according to Omonullo Faiziev, a spokesperson for Uzbekistan's Foreign Ministry, as reported by UZ Daily.
What was proposed
The statement followed reports that Latvian Interior Minister Janis Dombrava had suggested temporarily suspending visas for Uzbek citizens. He pointed to cases in which several Uzbek nationals committed offences soon after arriving in Latvia, including offences involving minors. The pause was meant to give time to work with Uzbekistan on preventing the entry of people who could threaten public order and security.
The matter was due to be considered at a Latvian cabinet meeting on 29 September, but it was left off the agenda because the National Alliance's coalition partners were not ready to back it. The Interior Ministry expected the issue to be taken up at the next meeting. Latvia had earlier also proposed accepting visa applications only from certain categories, such as family members of Latvian citizens, citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland, and people travelling for humanitarian reasons or for freight and passenger transport work.
Uzbekistan's response
According to Faiziev, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry began diplomatic efforts immediately after the reports of possible restrictions appeared. The Uzbek embassy in Riga met officials from the prime minister's office, the Foreign and Economy Ministries and the president's administration. Talks were also held with the Latvian embassy in Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan explained how the proposed measures could affect bilateral relations. Afterwards, the Latvian side said existing visa procedures need not change.
Faiziev stressed that Uzbekistan values its relations with Latvia and cooperation in politics, trade, culture and migration. The ministry urged citizens abroad to respect host countries' laws and customs, noting that one person's violations can harm other Uzbek citizens too.
Recent cases
On 1 October the interior minister said two Uzbek citizens had had their temporary residence permits revoked and were given seven days to leave voluntarily, or be expelled by force. In September, the Riga court found two men guilty of torturing a swan in Carnikava in front of minors, imposing nearly four years of probation supervision and a four-year ban on keeping animals.
