The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) yesterday hailed the border
treaty between Latvia and Russia, saying it is an "important" agreement.
"I warmly welcome this important step in relations between Latvia and the
Russian Federation," NATO Secretary General Jaap deHoop Scheffer said in a
statement.
He said he looks forward to an early ratification of the agreement by the
Latvian Saeima (parliament) and the Russian Duma.
Latvian Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis and his Russian counterpart Mikhail
Fradkov signed a deal on Tuesday, clearing up one of the European Union's (EU)
last lingering border disputes.
The border issue has remained controversial since the 1991 collapse of the
Soviet Union. Although clearly marked on the ground, the border was not subject
to a treaty despite the fact that it has formed the eastern frontier of the EU
and NATO since 2004.