DISINFO: Latvia prefers Russophobia to recognition of Russian vaccination certificate
SUMMARY
A new wave of coronavirus in Latvia is accompanied by a new wave of insanity. Those vaccinated by "Sputnik V" were officially equated with the unvaccinated.
Even those who had COVID, don't count as having a valid certificate if it was issued by Russia. It turns out that there is COVID-Russophobia. That is, if you were ill and got vaccinated by Sputnik V, it will not count. Many citizens in this situation, in the opinion of the Latvian authorities, are second-class people.
Instead of helping people somehow, it turns out that anti-Russian policy is more important to Levits [president of Latvia] than the health of his own citizens.
RESPONSE
Citizens vaccinated with vaccines not recognised by EMA indeed do not have COVID passports with QR codes in the EU. But Latvia's "anti-Russian policy" has absolutely nothing to do with it.
At the beginning of July, the European Union offered Russia the mutual recognition of vaccination certificates (without the certification of the vaccines themselves). Russia has expressed interest, but negotiations are proceeding slowly, and, according to the EU Ambassador to Russia, Markus Ederer, through the fault of the Russian side.
"This is a technical rather than a political process," EU ambassador Markus Ederer told Russia's RBC media outlet in an interview. "When Russian officials talk about the process being delayed and politicised by the European side, I sometimes think they are largely referring to themselves because it is them who make this about politics."
Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov admitted that there were "mutual misunderstandings" in the negotiations with the EU, but "now the work is being carried out in a constructive manner." On October 13, the press service of the Ministry of Health announced that the negotiation process and bilateral consultations were ongoing.
See more debunked allegations on Russophobia in the EU and Russophobia in Baltic countries in particular.