Russia Invades Georgia

[NJ5]

Russia keeps getting nicer and nicer:

Russia's ambassador to Latvia Monday warned the Baltic states and Poland that they would pay for their criticism of the Kremlin over the conflict in Georgia, the Baltic news agency BNS reported.

"One must not hurry on such serious issues, as serious mistakes can be made that have to be paid for a long time afterwards," Alexander Veshnyakov was quoted as saying by BNS.

Contacted by AFP, a spokesman for the Russian embassy in Riga confirmed the ambassador's comments but declined to elaborate.

Veshnyakov's remarks followed a joint statement Saturday by Latvia's President Valdis Zatlers and his counterparts from Estonia, Lithuania and Poland which called on the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to oppose Russia's "imperialist" policy towards Georgia.

The three Baltic states -- which were part of the Soviet Union -- and Poland are staunch allies of Georgia, a former Soviet republic.

Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland are now members of the E.U. and NATO.

So now we have a Russian ambassador threatening the very country (and neighbors) where he represents Russia.