hello again to spotlight. on to. take money. from the world back to the former soviet republic. became a member of the new being sixteen. the head of. the republic was on an official visit here in the last one to moscow now.

business. and just taking the. top russian businessman off a significant improvement of relations between russia and. they say the new generation of politicians on both sides is ready to leave behind a conception. and. gazprom has agreed to. support. the visa regime between russia. and welcome to the show thank you very much for being with us. first of all this was the the first visit. to russia since nineteen ninety four write. the letter inside. he called it the beginning of

normal bilateral relations normal dialogue this is a quote so what force the two countries to review their relations with machines well i think it's a question of time the peeress visit. took place maybe twenty four when our president told him and took moscow with their main. task to sign agreements of the past agreements with throw off russian military forces. this is a visit it's looking into the future. we have had quite a difficult time behind us. and we seize. and is to settle new. level of relations i think we have we have managed to do it the two presidents as far as i heard they spoke russian this

was the working language of the visit doesn't mean that the latvian allergy to all that's russian is over. well i think president is a very. pragmatic man bowen when he's he's going to proselyte he's speaking english when he's going to moscow he's speaking russian but he's speaking language we can communicate and understand he chose or as quickly as possible service or choice so so and. this is not only the choice of the president the government but also the choice of the people you represent can you say that the latinas today the ad to choose to with the russians is better than it was like fifteen years ago i wouldn't turn it fifty years ago left me and had. a different path if you told russians let's answer russians living to go

living in riga in other cities of latvia and there are no quarrels on an ethnic base not at all but i think the task of the visit is was not to settle their relations between russian selecta and but to answer let's hear but to say thaw a new level of relationship between our two states well let's just speak about here east fears. are always something that that makes may make it difficult to establishing good work in relations recently wiki leaks has disclosed the existence of a nato contingency plan for a possible. russian aggression against the baltic states well do you think that latvians really fear still fear a possible russian invasion is it a fact of life in your country or not oh i think the question has been answered

by the latest nato summit a nato summit to adopt a new nato security strategy. it confirmed but. politico is a military is a defense alliance and all the states have obligations to defend it chose article five is still valid. and nato at the same time stated and this is a city of cooperation of closer cooperation with russia. that's announcer i think since last fear is a member of nato since life is a member of european union or i would say we haven't any fear from nobody well of course we have to. have fears from economic challenges from new international threats like international terrorism

but well that's a challenge. facing any any country including like you you're mentioning the economic challenges was well as a member of nato ally that is for as i understand spence spent quite a considerable sum on defense well this reset let's call it so in russia latin relations that we are seeing today do you think it may convince the let me leadership to scrap some costly defense programs i wouldn't. reset policy and our defense spending so i have been cut quite substantially in the last two years. due to economic constraints. but we are still. lacking to have two percent military or defense expenditures of

g.d.p. so we are spending less and that's a commitment of nato states so i think this is not a lot linked to. a reset is not linked to the level of military expenditures in latvia and we have to holler our. commitments as a nato member state well as you mentioned the relations between the russians and the lat let me end but still according to the kremlin the main problem in bilateral relations is the status of russian speaking people in latvia the so-called non citizens the re an artist agency recently published published the figure is there are seventy nine different things i'm quoting reality and the rights of citizens and non-citizens and forty seven professions offer been for the

so-called non citizens is it true it is a good game to change actually no. i will say very simple. when people respectively be latvian so russians are going to. go to the shop to. delhi charm to the medical care. to social. agency they have no difference in treatment well so's persons respectively who they are but they are sort of russians if the person hasn't. or hasn't hit a citizen ship. this person concept ploy to be civil servant let's apply for the policeman. or to be elected as a deputy that's

a major difference and the rest well you kind of course the professions of of civil service you can name in fifty very very asians but at the very end it remains only civil service and that's a difference. you mentioned the equal treatment but there was this this news story in the news recently about the doctors that the that that they were members of the ruling party and they declared there and the willingness to to give medical systems to the russian speakers because they called them occupiers tell us more about the story and what was their reaction to that comment pleat mistreatment and cunt promptly misinterpretation was all over the use of this yeah i know you are a tremendous lot of such and such facts but the fact was was. mistreated by one journalists and then published by by many others well if one doctor

somewhere in america consider he's not a member of the party he's not a member he's not a deputy he's not a minister if he consider that he may have some difficulties in treatment that's his own problem. well as a as a party supporter of one of the ruling party here he was thrown out of his party was. money he donated for the party was a return back to him really well this doctor this american doctor that we're related to he called the russians he called them occupiers while this problem this question of occupation it seems to be close to being so today. when that when the two president decided to create a commission office thore is to tackle these difficult difficult questions and this is one of the main results of this visit the latter in a visit to moscow well. do you agree that the question of soviet occupation

of latvia is still divided the two countries and how soon do you think this commission may do something to start solving the this problem well. i wouldn't say that this is a main main result of the visit well we have quite a number of results. but certainly it is and it was acknowledged by both presidents that it is a question not not an easy question should be somehow discussed. and positions are opinion should be exchanged and so it was has happened already today between two presidents i think that starts off of this political dialogue even. concern me these difficult issues but it is

essential to start a dialogue about this issue i think this first step. most presidents endorsed the creation of a historian commission i think that's a good step ahead and even. if you are on a on a difficult task you have to make a first step this first step was done today and i hope we will move ahead and settle the issues of the history of interpretation of history we are not trying to rewrite history but we are trying to come closer by interpretation of historical events and interpretations. some time not only in terms. buy academicians but also by politicians but certainly commissions can be very helpful in interpretation i should stress that if we want to salts issue then the question about all carbs and openness

of squats essential part of this tightly i hope very much we will have also progress regarding accessibility it says augustine when he's being paid secretary of the last part is news to spotlight will be back shortly after the break we'll continue this interview in less than a minute so stay where you are. wealthy british style. market. has come to. find out what's really happening to the global economy

with mike stronger for a no holds barred look at the global financial headlines cons a report on. discovery. communicate with the wind. and become free. nature can give you. welcome back to spotlight i'm al gore now in just a reminder that my guest on the show today is on this take when he's the state secretary of the light the foreign ministry you mention just mention politicians

having a chance to interpret historical events do you think it's rights well you're a politician today of course but you're also a human being and you have your children your grandchildren studying history would you like them studying history interpreted by politicians. well i think. well if you are not thinking about your history probably it will be a very difficult to sink about your future so we can't separate from our history whether we like it or not but we have to be clear on that. and therefore both academicians and his politicians should have some more clarity about it i wouldn't say that all the politicians in latvia and russia even of

a successful work of turin commission will have totally the same opinion or totally the same interpretation of historical events well but i think it would be essential if we would come closer in. explaining historical events validating historical events. coming closer of their opinions of the politicians of both states and certainly if academicians would agree on on these events that would definitely be very helpful there was a lot written about you know elations on the eve of his visit to moscow and many journalists expressed. it's an opinion fear that if russia is recognized as a country occupied lightly here it means that there that latvia could seek compensation do you do you agree do you confirm what can you deny this point here well i would

say the. i would say that. toric issue should be regarded as the road. and this is not only the issue between. latvia and russia this is an issue between latvia and poland this is an issue of russia's own history and i think that is the same show to bring all knowledge about. tragic complex difficult issues of twentieth century and we have to start it. i think a good start is a hope of the victory we shouldn't try to reach immediately some finish but we have to stop and what's essential we have to start both and we have to start to cover this first step was done today i hope very much it will be successful you're

absolutely both moscow and riga have already labeled this visit as successful well as far as i know you are yuruk coming to minister latin economist or he was coming to moscow in order to try to convince gazprom to cut the gas prices for latvia was this attempt successful. well. i should say that was no not the only issue of of for. minister of economy and a number of ministers who. came with the president to moscow we have signed a number of four agreements by a bilateral agreements. i should mention first and foremost the agreement in some double taxation agreement on our cooperation in combating or organized crime cooperation in mental matzos. facilitated travel in the

border regions cooperation in matters of tourism and so on and so forth. and we discussed quite a number of various issues with president prime minister putin. and we we discussed the issue so transit and transportation of investments of gas supply also so i hope i hope very much so. due to this visit and then not only due to this where is it but. we will have also in the near future an adequate. understandable price of and that your resources says so so you think this may happen yes that the prices may be cut short of to mystic i am and this is the result of the visit. i

should stress that we have quite a number of results ok and now how much will bilateral trade increase next year i know you talked about it and in which areas. well there is a very positive dynamic. still we have quite a different different you know by letter trade. and well that's mostly due to the fact the russian statistics is counting the transit through latvia we are now. but but nevertheless we see the very positive dynamic this year. in gross if our mutual trade. gross of the trade total trade volume has grown by twenty seven or twenty eight percent so we can expect. also in the next year we may expect the gross of the trade

in. traditional. branches traditional goods. it is food. like sprouts other fish products meat products diary products various. goods. chemistry pharmaceuticals so we can mean can expect increase in my letter all trade in practically all the branches and we hope very much that. the signing of double taxation is a matters that really will stimulate. the business community in both countries and it will increase activity of business community it will increase

investments while we still want to go shooting. agreement on protection from estimates so we haven't landed diest yet to a common position but i hope very much we'll do it in the nearest future speaking of investments your assistance i'm sorry for interrupting but i know that two thousand and nine there was a significant cut a significant decrease in investments russians to let you know that is to russia what was the main reason are our russian investments safe enough in that area there . safe and so was the reason they are safe enough and actually the well cumulated investments didn't didn't decrease. the biggest investment so it has been done they are still there. there are quite a many smaller investors probably have been hit in both countries by economic

constraints and they were not maybe able to carry out all the plants they have envisaged before but i think this is physical so encouraged quite a many. business people and we saw today in the morning when we had a business forum. about well two hundred fifty business men participated in this business for own both from left and from from russia and i think definitely i'm very confident that they will find a common business you mentioned this agreement that you signed with the russians about facilitating the the cross border trips for people living along the russian latvia border well russia has been working on these abolishing the abolishment of the visa regime between russia and the shotgun countries do you

think that latvia is is ready to become an advocate of the abolishment of the of these as with russia well actually you support this and support has been a known so really today by our president. we are supportive to to this. these are free for perspective for e.u. and russia. and then we have to carry out our homework. quite a number of homework should be done in e.u. countries in russia in order to achieve a real result freedom while in. it reason freedom doesn't mean only a possibility of parole it's a must commits to go to you and i'm allowed to spread to nice week or month in the summer time or in you your sleeve or to go to fall for far left me and stoop to go to moscow or petersburg no well it means

that business community should be safe in both countries by conducting their business activities they they shouldn't be by the by overwhelming ridge. procedures and all documents say fifty readmission issues are all these issues should be should be settled and then we will have a real reason freedom thank you thank you very much you know see for the centurion just a reminder that my guest on the show today was and grace quinn is the state secretary of the last korean foreign ministry and that's it for now but will you talk like that would call for to comment on what's going on in and outside of russia as well then stay on. and take a thank you thank you very much. a

final yes to a new start after intensive personal no brainer by president obama gets his way and onstage push out of the u.s. senate to find it approves the start nuclear arms cuts treaty with russia after months of wrangling moscow has welcomes the move that's crucial to renewed relations. in other news this hour the new face of russian patriotism the country's best known agent anna chapman from pads to start a political career youth movement. in the u.s. voted against the un resolution proposed by russia condemning big lot of creation of nonces most notably one hundred twenty countries including iran and israel

support the motion. up next here and also you'll be on your show from our washington studios which looks at our top story the stalled nuclear arms cuts treaty plus host anyone in coffs chaos just why wall street bankers are not one of christmas cheer over their bonuses. for the. we've got. the biggest issues get a human voice face to face with the news makers. welcome the loner show will get the real headlines with none of the mersey are coming alive out of washington d.c. now after much speculation the start treaty was passed overwhelmingly by the senate today so we're going to discuss.