Charge d'Affaires of Russia in Riga Oleg Zykov stated this in an interview with RIA Novosti.
He said that in 2023, a record low number of Russian tourists visited Latvia; 17 thousand Russians stayed in hotels and guest houses in the republic.
“Over the past two years, Riga has taken a number of openly hostile steps towards our country and its citizens, deservedly falling into the category of “unfriendly countries,” Zykov said.
Among such measures, he named, in particular, the cessation of issuing visas to Russians (except for humanitarian cases), the requirement to fill out provocative forms when crossing the border, and a ban on the entry of vehicles with Russian license plates.
“All these repressive measures quite naturally discouraged Russians from any interest in tourist trips to Latvia,” he concluded.
Earlier, President Vladimir Putin instructed the government to consider measures for the repatriation of compatriots in the event of their illegal deportation from unfriendly countries.