Russia, Latvia bury hatchet on decades of disputes

Russia and Latvia vowed Monday to move past decades of mistrust and restore neighbourly relations during a historic visit to Moscow by Latvian President Valdis Zatlers. The visit was "the result of our political will to overcome the difficulties and find new opportunities for co-operation," Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told Zatlers, who became the first Baltic president to come to Moscow in 16 years.
The two sides signed agreements to cooperate more closely in the fight against organised crime, eliminate double taxation, and ensure closer protection of the Baltic environment, among others. Among a raft of disputes between the two nations is Moscow's claim that Latvia discriminates against its Russian-speaking minority, for example by making Latvian the only official language.