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On Monday, 3 March, the European Affairs Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Saeima adopted the Joint Statement on Russia’s Aggression in Ukraine strongly condemning the Russian Federation’s military aggression in Ukraine and stressing Latvia’s unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the legitimate power of the Verhovna Rada of Ukraine. Both committees also called upon the Presidium of the Saeima to convene an extraordinary plenary sitting during which the parliament as a whole would also adopt such a statement.
“The situation in Ukraine, in the Crimea region, is changing by the hour; therefore, it is imperative that we respond immediately to the developments by expressing a joint position condemning Russia’s military threats against Ukraine and its violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity,” stresses Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, Chairperson of the European Affairs Committee.
During the joint meeting of the two committees, Ojārs Ēriks Kalniņš, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, emphasised that the call on the European Union (EU) and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to immediately deploy border observation missions to Ukraine, which is included in the Joint Statement, is a response to the developments in Ukraine over the past 24 hours.
In the Joint Statement, the committees note that the situation in Ukraine is becoming increasingly critical and that by committing military aggression in the territory of another country, Russia is violating international law and the commitments it has undertaken, including the 1994 Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances to Ukraine and the 1997 Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership between Ukraine and the Russian Federation. These actions are an illegal, deliberate and premeditated interference in the sovereignty of Ukraine with the aim of provoking a military conflict in order to occupy part or all of the territory of Ukraine.
The Joint Statement adopted today notes that the European Affairs Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Saeima fully concur with the Statement by the President of Latvia, the Speaker of the Saeima, the Prime Minister and the Minister for Foreign Affairs on Russia’s interference in Ukraine issued on 1 March 2014.
The committees call on Russia to cease all forms of aggression and provocation against Ukraine, immediately return its army to its bases and comply with the commitments it has undertaken by international treaties. The European Affairs Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee also urge the international community to express strong support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as urge the European Union and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe to immediately deploy border observation missions to Ukraine to supervise compliance with the signed agreements.
Saeima Press Service