Baltic States – CIS, EU – Baltic States, Latvia, Legislation, Transport

Kobzon pointed out that being ''blacklisted'' by Latvia prohibited him from attending the ''New Wave'' song contest in Jurmala.

''I will turn to the European courts against the Latvian government for moral and material damages caused by the decision. I had pre-paid a hotel in Jurmala worth EUR 11,500 for my stay, but the hotel did not reimburse me,'' said Kobzon, who said that discussions with the hotel's management on being reimbursed were unsuccessful. ''They said that the decision was not dependent on them, and that it was made by the Latvian government. They recommended me to turn to the government with my complaint, which I intend to do,'' Kobzon said.

As reported, this past July, Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics banned Oleg Gazmanov, Joseph Kobzon and Alla Perfilova, also known as Valeriya, from traveling to Latvia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed LETA. Kobzon has been "blacklisted" twice already.

At the beginning of May, Gazmanov participated in a rally on the Red Square in Moscow to express support for the pro-Russian authorities in Crimea.

Meanwhile, Valeriya has been officially referred to as Russian President Vladimir Putin's "confidante". She has stated that there is no other person in Russia who could make a better president than Putin.

Kobzon, on the other hand, was temporarily blacklisted in Latvia in 2003, as the authorities said they had a reason to believe that he "posed threats against national security and public order."

Kobzon is also prohibited from entering the United States, Canada, Australia and a number of countries in Europe.

The three have been blacklisted by Rinkevics for an indefinite period of time in accordance with the Immigration Law.