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political process. We see eye to eye with Saudi Arabia on this even though we may have certain
differences with regard to ultimate goals.
Alexander Veshnyakov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
to the Latvian Republic
It is evident from reports in the Latvian press that the negative attitude
toward "new arrivals" in the UK also extends to Latvians: "Why did
you come here? Pack up and leave!" Today, even official representatives
of the Latvian Foreign Ministry are saying that "we will negotiate with
the British government on the protection of our compatriots." How
can extremes be avoided in this situation?
I believe that by the end of the year, many EU analysts, including those
in Latvia, will come to the conclusion that this policy course should
be reviewed, adjusted and seriously amended, taking present-day realities into account.
Boris Bolotin, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
THE MIDDLE EAST is a very complicated region. A mass of prob-
lems have accumulated there.
There is a complete international consensus on the need for joint ef-
forts in order to rebuff and fight the so-called Islamic State. By the
way, of late, some positive developments have emerged both in Iraq
and in Syria. According to the Jordanians, there is a real possibility of
achieving a victory over ISIS by the beginning of next year. We would
like to see these predictions come true, but a lot depends on our part-
ners' behavior.
We are open to constructive collaboration with the Americans and other parties to the peace
process, but, unfortunately, not all of our initiatives meet with support and understanding. How-
ever, if leading international and regional players really pool their efforts, then the objective of
eliminating ISIS by the beginning of next year will look more realistic.
It is important to remember that we have to deal with a real information war that is being waged
both by the Western and regional media. There is a lot of slander and falsification, and this can
influence some people. So one of our most important tasks is to raise
awareness, explain the essence of our policy to the public and explain
what is really going on in Syria.
Vladimir Tarabrin, Ambassador at Large for International Anti-Corruption
Cooperation at the Russian Foreign Ministry
ISSUES related to new challenges and threats and the fight against
corruption are acquiring increasing relevance, since the fight against
corruption is becoming a kind of a state's calling card, an indicator of
its civilized nature and its ability to comply with universal standards
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