B. Braže will meet with officials from the Council of Europe and NATO parliamentary assemblies at the platform of the Crimea

This week, on October 23 and 24, the third parliamentary summit of the Crimea International Platform will be held in Riga. The goal is to explain the global impact of Russian aggression, continue to shed light on the crimes committed by the aggressor internationally, and encourage international support for Ukraine. Delegations from around 40 countries will participate in the summit. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs appreciates the Saeima’s contribution to the organization of the ambitious conference.

On the opening day of the summit, October 23, Foreign Minister Baiba Braže said He will deliver a speech at the event organized by the Embassy of Ukraine in Latvia, where the documentary film “The True Story of Crimea” will be shown.

At the top of the Crimea platform, the foreign minister will have several important bilateral meetings.

• on October 23rd B. Braže meets the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (EPPA) Teodoras Roussopoulos (Theodoros Roussopoulos). Officials will discuss aid to Ukraine, the process of creating a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine and the work of the Casualty Register, as well as the threat of foreign, particularly Russian, disinformation. . Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, head of EPPA’s Latvian delegation, will participate in the discussion.
• on October 24 B. Braže will meet the President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Gerald Edward Connolly (Gerald Edward Connolly). Officials will discuss security policy challenges, strengthening tolerance, increasing the presence of allies in Latvia and the need for assistance to Ukraine.
• on October 24 The Minister of Foreign Affairs will meet the Speaker of the Parliament of Tonga, Lord Fatafehi ​​Fakafanua (Research Media). Tonga has shown strong support for Ukraine both in multilateral forms and in condemning Russian aggression. Latvia and Tonga are united by a similar understanding that a system based on international laws, principles and values ​​is the main requirement for the interests of each country to be equally heard. Both countries also share common goals, including preventing the consequences of climate change and implementing a green and digital transition.

About the Crimean Platform International Parliamentary Conference

• The holding of the Crimean International Forum parliamentary summit in Riga is part of Latvia’s extensive support to Ukraine and contributing to the strengthening of the rules-based international order. The summit is organized by the Saeima in close cooperation with the Parliament of Ukraine – the Verkhovna Rada.
• The Crimean International Platform was established in 2021 as a form of coordination and consultations at the level of countries and governments, parliaments, ministers of foreign affairs and experts to promote the understanding of world leaders and the general public about the temporary role and involvement of the Crimean peninsula, its impact negative on the human rights of the local population, security in the Black Sea region, global food security and global order based on rules. Before that, the Crimean platform parliamentary conferences were held in Zagreb and Prague.

For additional information

• Council of Europe was founded in 1949 and is the oldest political organization in Europe, uniting 46 European countries. Its purpose is to protect human rights, democracy and the rule of law, to achieve the unity of the social and legal standards of the member states, to understand the European identity, to promote its values, to accept the cultures of different European countries. After the war of aggression started in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe on March 16, 2022. Currently, the Council of Europe has been the main focus of support for Ukraine against Russian aggression, ensure justice and judge the makers.
• Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe This is one of the largest institutions of the Council of Europe, where parliamentarians from all member states of the Council of Europe gather regularly for sessions.
• NATO Parliamentary Assembly is an inter-parliamentary consultative body established in 1955 that unites parliamentarians from the countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.