RSU participates in a study on the Russia factor

On 21 December, the Centre for East European Policy Studies presented the outcomes of the study The regions of Latvia and Latvia’s foreign policy: a study of the Russia’s factor. Riga Stradiņš University (RSU) lecturer and the head of the study programme International Relations – European Studies Māris Cepurītis, RSU graduates Agita Briča and Mārcis Balodis and RSU Master student Arnis Latišenko have contributed to the study.

Local municipalities have become individual makers and shapers of their external relations. The municipalities of Latvia are not an exception and cooperate with the local municipalities of the neighbouring countries, other European countries and regions of the world. The geopolitical location of Latvia opens up cooperation possibilities, however it also increases the risks associated with the unpredictable and simultaneously aggressive and hidden nature of Russia’s policy.

The study addresses the following issues:

• The external relations of Latvia’s municipalities and their linkage to Latvia’s foreign policy from 2009 – 2017;
• The presence of the Russia’s factor in the external relations of Latvia’s municipalities.

The study is an excellent example of cooperation between RSU teaching staff, students and graduates.