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On Monday, 24 March, Jānis Vucāns, Chairman of the Latvian delegation to the Baltic Assembly, met with Karin Åström, President of the Nordic Council, and Hans Wallmark, Vice President of the Nordic Council. In discussing the situation in Ukraine, Jānis Vucāns noted that since the Eastern Partnership is one of Latvia’s foreign policy priorities, it is logical for our state to be ready to continue sharing its experience with Ukraine in implementing reforms and strengthening democracy, as well as supporting Ukraine in these efforts. This commitment is essential particularly now, when Ukraine needs support in maintaining its sovereignty and territorial integrity, strengthening national unity and stabilising the overall situation in the state.
Jānis Reirs, Deputy Chairman of the Latvian delegation to the Baltic Assembly, emphasised that the situation in Ukraine shows that soft power and hard power are only a step apart. That is one reason why the situation in Ukraine is of such grave concern to Latvia. How the situation, which is characterised by violations of international treaties and agreements, unfolds depends on the response of the international community. Meanwhile, Ojārs Ēriks Kalniņš, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Saeima, indicated that developments in Ukraine concern countries even beyond the Baltic Sea region. Russia’s actions in undermining international order are a threat to all of Europe.
In essence, the Nordic Council believes that any issue can be resolved through negotiations without showing or using physical force, said Karin Åström. Hans Wallmark remarked that the strength of democracy in Ukraine depends on the effectiveness of law and the judiciary, including a commitment to fight corruption.
Participants of the meeting agreed that unanimity on the European level, namely, a joint position of all EU member states, is essential and will be more effective when deciding on imposing sanctions on Russia.
Background information:
The Baltic Assembly is an inter-parliamentary cooperation organisation of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania established with the aim to coordinate Baltic cooperation on parliamentary level, to address joint issues and projects, as well as to express a common position on political, economic, social and cultural issues in the European Union and globally. The Baltic Assembly consists of 12 to 20 members from each country’s parliament.
The Nordic Council, established in 1952, is an inter-parliamentary forum for cooperation between the Nordic countries. It consists of 87 representatives elected from the national parliaments of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Greenland, as well as the Åland Islands and Faroe Islands.
Photos from the meeting are available at:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/saeima/sets/72157642839604264/with/13375323945/
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Saeima Press Service