RIGA, Oct 29 (LETA) - Writing off the debts of the Ventspils Port Authority can lead to even greater stagnation, so the Union of Greens and Farmers has no intention to "plead and seek political compromises", Harijs Rokpelnis, chair of the Greens/Farmers faction, said while commenting on Transport Minister Atis Svinka's (Progressives) decision not to proceed with the write-off of the Ventspils Port Authority's EUR 14.8 million debt to the State Treasury.

Rokpelnis said that ministers have every right to make decisions, but in the opinion of Greens/Farmers this decision does not make economic sense and may lead to even greater stagnation in the development of Latvian exports, ports and related industries. This is not a right decision, Rokpelnis added.

"If we are expected to plead or seek political compromises that are unrelated to economic matters, this is a misconception, it will not happen," Rokpelnis stressed.

He added that Greens/Farmers have drawn a clear line - they will work constructively, discuss and move forward on budget and economic issues. "Therefore, the minister himself must take responsibility for the consequences that will affect the relevant sectors," Rokpelnis said.

Asked whether Svinka's announcement might be related to Greens/Farmers' position on the Istanbul Convention and the faction's vote in favor of Latvia's withdrawal from the Convention, Rokpelnis said that this question should be put to Svinka. "We have not engaged in such discussions and do not intend to do so," the lawmaker said.

As reported, Svinka believes that the impact from Russian aggression and sanctions is not solely to blame for the dilapidated infrastructure of the Port of Ventspils, which requires investments of up to EUR 100 million.

"More than 35 years of 'management', during which the infrastructure of the city of Ventspils has been maintained with port funds, European funds and state aid, have contributed to the port's own underdevelopment when compared to other Baltic ports," the minister said.

Svinka plans to gather information this week and meet with the Union of Greens and Farmers' parliamentary faction and the For Latvia and Ventspils MPs next week to discuss possible solutions.

The Ministry of Transport told LETA that more information on solutions would follow shortly.

TV3 previously reported that the Greens/Farmers are calling for the Ventspils Freeport Authority's debts, which exceed EUR 19.9 million, to be written off. Most of these debts are loans from the Treasury.

According to Greens/Farmers, the debts were incurred at a time when the port was managed solely by the state and should be cleared before the municipality returns to managing the port.