RIGA, April 25 (RIA Novosti, Yury Guralnik) - Latvian Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis said that Latvia had a right to lay territorial claims against Russia. "Our government cannot give up Abrene, this contradicts the constitution," Kalvitis announced alive at the Latvian SWH radio station.
Abrene is the Latvian name of the Russian frontier town of Pytalovo.
The premier said that this issue could be solved by the Latvian constitutional court or Latvians, apparently meaning a referendum.
Russia and Latvia were going to sign an agreement on the border in May 2005.
The declaration that the Latvian foreign ministry attached to the border agreement with Russia prepared for ratification cites laws authorizing Latvia to lay other territorial claims against Russia.
The Russian foreign ministry vigorously opposes such position of the Latvian party and does not intend to sign the agreement with the declaration attached.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Chizhov stated on May 11 that the signing of the document had been suspended indefinitely.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier that Russia would not hold talks with Baltic states on territorial claims.
"We would not give them an inch of the Pytalovo district," Putin was quoted as saying by the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper.
President Putin said that the Baltic states were raising the territorial question "not to get something but to spoil others' attitude to Russia".
