The speakers of eight parliaments visit Cēsis

The speakers of the parliaments of the Baltic and Nordic countries (NB8) met last Thursday in Cēsis, where they talked about regional security issues, receiving sanctions against Russia, the fight against trans-attacks generation, as well as the role of parliaments in supporting Ukraine. The distinguished guests also got to know the city and the medieval castle.

The Speaker of the Latvian Saeima, Daiga Mieriņa, told “Druva” that the main purpose of the meeting is to strengthen cooperation between countries. D. Mieriņa emphasized that regional cooperation between the Baltic and Nordic countries is extremely important to prevent the aggressor and work to limit Russia’s capabilities, especially targeting income, military-industrial capability and disinformation. “Russia will try to get around the sanctions in different ways. A package of 14 sanctions, including a ban, including manganese ore, proposed by Latvia, was adopted. It is important to discuss the implementation of sanctions with the companies themselves,” said the Speaker of the Saeima.

On the previous day of the meeting, financial experts and experts were invited to Riga, the issues that should be included in the next package of sanctions planned for Russia, so to speak them about with former USSR countries in the south, such as Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, was discussed. “The most important thing right now is to hold talks with countries where we see that exports are growing significantly, and it is obvious that they are sending aid to Russia,” said D Mieriņa.

The agenda of the leaders of the parliaments also included issues about how to prevent the methods of information warfare used by the aggressive state, in which artificial intelligence is used. “This innovative method can be very effective in spreading false information to achieve its goals,” the Speaker of the Saeima admitted.

After the meeting, representatives of the parliaments of Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Finland and Sweden got to know Cēsis. The county council management accompanied the guests on a tour of the town, and the Cēsi Museum had an interesting tour of the medieval castle.

The representative of the Swedish Parliament, Andreas Norlen, admitted to “Druva” that he loves history, which is why the tour around Livonia Castle was particularly interesting. He learned a lot of new facts, amazing details about the daily life of the castle. Of course, he was more interested in how Cēsis Castle prospered in the so-called Swedish times.

Lauri Husar, the chairman of the Rīga Kogi Estonian Parliament, confirmed that these days mark 35 years of the Baltic Road, a very important event for the three Baltic states. By joining hands, Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians confirmed the unifying values ​​and goals – freedom and national independence. It was an act of unity that showed how three countries working together can make a great power. L. Husar emphasized that it is now more important to provide a united weapon against such a strong enemy as Russia. When he was asked about his views in Cēsis, L. Husar admitted that he was very happy with what he saw, and he promised to definitely return here.

Sweden participated in the NB8 meeting, which has been held since the 90s, for the first time as a member of NATO, the country joined the alliance this spring. The speaker of the Parliament Andreas Norlen, answering “Druva’s” question about military security in the Baltic Sea region, confirmed that Sweden is now much safer politically and militarily. A. Norlen said that eight parties that were represented in the parliament took part in the parliamentary vote on membership in the North Atlantic Alliance, and six parties of the ruling coalition were unanimously in favor. , but overall 90 percent of the delegates voted for it. “When they analyze the statistical data, the majority of the Swedish public strongly supports the federation and feels much safer. As a parliament, we have a stronger feeling that the countries of the European Union are becoming even stronger in defense matters,” explained A. Norlēns.

At the end of the visit, “Druva” asked the Speaker of the Latvian Saeima, who encouraged Cēsis to be chosen as a place for the NB8 meeting.

“Important political guests are rarely taken on trips beyond the capital of Latvia. But there is not only Riga in our country. I believe that Cēsis has a rich cultural history, that the town is a place of high culture, so we decided to show this pearl of Vidzeme to the delegation,” said the Speaker of the Saeima.