"Latvia reaffirms its unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. We fully back the non-recognition of the illegal annexation of Crimea," emphasised Inese Lībiņa-Egnere, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima and Head of the Latvian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), during a meeting with Olena Kondratiuk, Deputy Chair of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament).
"The Crimean Platform is a valuable format for keeping the de-occupation of Crimea on the international agenda. It is essential for the platform to receive strong international support," said Lībiņa-Egnere, noting that a Group for the support of the international Crimean Platform has been established in the Saeima.
The Deputy Speaker of the Saeima stressed: "The inauguration of the Crimean Platform on 23 August evokes the solidarity of the Baltic Way, which gives me confidence that Ukraine, hand in hand with its allies, will regain not only hope but freedom in their own land."
Discussing bilateral relations between the countries, Lībiņa-Egnere underscored the dynamic cooperation even in these difficult times marked by the COVID‑19 pandemic. "Ukraine is one of the priority countries in Latvia's development cooperation policy. We will continue to assist Ukraine in its reform processes, in particular by supporting projects that promote good governance, the rule of law, decentralisation, rural development, and strengthening the export capacity of small and medium-sized enterprises," said Lībiņa-Egnere, noting that this year particular attention has been given to the fight against disinformation and to defence cooperation, including the deployment of military instructors.
"Latvia strongly supports Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspirations. Within the framework of the European Union’s (EU) Eastern Partnership, we endorse further deepening of cooperation with Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova," said the Deputy Speaker of the Saeima, underlining that partners that achieve more results in implementing reforms should receive increased EU support.
Within NATO, Latvia would be ready to support the granting of the Membership Action Plan status to Ukraine based on a unanimous decision of the Allies, explained the Deputy Speaker of the Saeima, adding that Ukraine would need to convince the more sceptical countries that its reforms were permanent.
Discussing relations between the EU and Russia, Lībiņa-Egnere said that "it is important that the EU remains united and reaffirms its current policy, which states that the full implementation of the 2015 Minsk Agreement is a key condition for significant changes in the EU's relations with Russia." Lībiņa-Egnere emphasised that Latvia remained sceptical about the proposal of some EU partners to expand cooperation with Russia.
Regarding Latvia's humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, Lībiņa-Egnere expressed the hope to resume the rehabilitation programme for Ukrainian soldiers, which was suspended due to the spread of COVID‑19.
While in Kiev, Lībiņa-Egnere also met with Mariia Mezentseva, Head of the Ukrainian delegation to PACE.
At the invitation of the Ukrainian Parliament, the Deputy Speaker of the Saeima is in Ukraine until 26 August to attend the inaugural summit of the Crimean Platform and the ceremonial events in honour of the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's independence. In Kiev, Lībiņa-Egnere is also accompanied by Ojārs Ēriks Kalniņš, Head of the Latvian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.
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Saeima Press Service