Latvia wants to ban tourist trips to Russia and Belarus: Reason named
The country fears the recruitment of its citizens (Illustrative photo: Getty Images)
The Latvian Parliament has started reviewing a draft law aimed at banning travel agencies from providing services in Russia and Belarus. The goal is to reduce the risks of potential human rights violations and prevent individuals from being recruited as spies, according to Politico.
As reported by the media, on Thursday, February 13, the legislative body referred the proposed amendments to the tourism law to the relevant committee.
"Travel to Russia and Belarus is currently a security issue. We cannot allow holiday trips to continue to be organized and buses full of our citizens to travel to countries that openly express a desire to occupy Latvia," said Gatis Liepiņš, a parliamentarian from the New Unity party, which initiated the law.
The deputy noted that in 2024, Russia arrested 30 Latvian citizens, and the ability of Latvian authorities to assist in such cases is very limited.
The ban will apply to all tourism service providers registered in Latvia and will be introduced as part of the sanctions package against Russia and Belarus.
Earlier, the Latvian State Security Service stated that malicious activities by Russia in Latvia in 2025 could become more diverse. In particular, the State Security Service mentioned the possibility of diversions inspired by Russian intelligence services, which could be used to destabilize the country's internal security.
