Forcibly incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1940, Latvia regained its independence in 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed. Riga has since joined relevant international treaties, regimes, and organizations, including both NATO and the European Union in the spring of 2004. Latvia does not possess or produce nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons.
а русском (in Russian)
The Latvian Institute of Nuclear Physics at Salaspils, located 20 miles from Riga, houses a 5MW research reactor and a zero power reactor. On 25 May 2005, 2.5kg of fresh HEU fuel were removed from the Salaspils reactor and returned to Russia. In November 2007, the Latvian government endorsed an agreement to send used nuclear fuel from Salaspils to Russia. Latvia is a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and party to both the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). In addition, Riga has signed an Additional Protocol with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
 See Latvia Nuclear Profile
Latvia acceded to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC) in February 1997 and joined the Australia Group in June 2004. There is no evidence to suggest that Riga possesses or is developing biological weapons.
Latvia is a signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and joined the Australia Group in June 2004. There is no evidence that Riga possesses or seeks to develop chemical weapons.
Latvian facilities that once supplied the former Soviet Union with commodities controlled by the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), such as thermal protection materials for spaceships, electronics, radars, and sensors for missiles, no longer produce or export such items. Latvia has a List of Dual-Use Goods and Technologies and controls the export of other domestically-produced components that could be used to build aircraft and missiles.
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Updated December 2007 |
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