"Latvia will continue its relentless work during and after its Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to achieve full justice and hold Russia accountable for the crimes committed in Ukraine", said Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima and Head of the Latvian Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), at a meeting of the PACE Bureau in Paris on Thursday, 14 September.

Kalniņa-Lukaševica stressed that this week in Riga, the Register of Damage was launched and the Riga Principles were approved to ensure that Russia does not remain unpunished and that compensation is provided to all victims of the war. As the Deputy Speaker informed her colleagues, the principles are: victim-centred approach, strong legal basis, authority and legitimacy, support to the Ukrainian authorities, interoperability, civil society involvement, and working towards effective compensation.

Regarding the forthcoming PACE autumn session in October, a decision was made to include on the agenda a discussion with the Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs on the achievements and current topics of the Latvian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. The discussion will take place in Strasbourg on 11 October.

At the PACE Bureau meeting, MPs also decided that the election of the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights would take place in January 2024, and the Council of Europe Secretary General would be elected during the PACE plenary session in June 2024. The MPs also approved the procedure for nominating and evaluating these officials.

Saeima Press Service