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The situation near the Belarusian border is not a migrant crisis, but rather a hybrid attack, systematically planned and organised by the Lukashenko regime. It is not an attack merely against Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, but also against the entire European Union and its value system, stressed Inese Lībiņa-Egnere, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima and Head of the Latvian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), on 6 October, during a discussion of the heads of national delegations to PACE, dedicated to the role of regional cooperation in the context of hybrid threats.

In times of hybrid warfare, the enemy is searching for weaknesses in our political rhetoric, sowing fear of the unknown in our society, emphasised the Head of the Latvian delegation to PACE. “If we are dedicated to protecting our democracy and human rights, it will be much harder to break us. Protecting democracy and universal human rights as indisputable core values will help strengthen our position in international organisations and in talks with our partners, as well as build resilience of the Latvian society against hybrid weapons, such as lies and disinformation,” said Lībiņa-Egnere.

“Every hybrid threat must be called by its name, and we cannot succumb to deliberately forced defensive tactics. The Belarusian border area is affected by organised crime – it is human trafficking, not a migrant crisis. It is our duty to persistently reiterate this to our partners and allies in order to share a common victory and bring the perpetrators to justice. In our political dialogue, we must always stand up for core European values. It will help us resist the variety of hybrid threats,” emphasised the Head of the Latvian delegation to PACE.

During her meeting with the Chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the National Defence Committee of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland, the Deputy Speaker of the Saeima thanked Polish MPs for their discussion in the Warsaw Security Forum and the Sejm, continuing the fruitful collaboration within the Council of Europe. Lībiņa-Egnere highlighted the importance of these meetings and talks in achieving common goals.

Lībiņa-Egnere is on a visit to the capital of Poland to participate in the Warsaw Security Forum. The Warsaw Security Forum is also hosting a discussion of the heads of national delegations to PACE, dedicated to the role of regional cooperation in the context of hybrid threats.

PACE is a statutory body of the Council of Europe focusing on the protection of human rights, pluralist democracy and the rule of law, promotion of the understanding and development of European cultural identity and diversity, and seeking solutions to problems facing the European society, as well as strengthening democratic stability in Europe by supporting political, legislative, and constitutional reforms.

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Saeima Press Service