On Monday, 1 February, in Kiev Inese Lībiņa-Egnere, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima, met with Volodymyr Groysman, Speaker of the parliament of Ukraine, and stated that the Latvian presidency of NB8 provides another opportunity to raise the Ukraine issue at the highest level, thus keeping it firmly on the European agenda. The parliamentarians of the Baltic and Nordic states are jointly visiting Ukraine to reaffirm in person the commitment to express solidarity with Ukraine and support its sovereignty and territorial integrity in all possible international fora.

The Deputy Speaker of the Saeima is visiting Ukraine on a joint visit with the highest-ranking officials of the parliaments of the Baltic and Nordic states (NB8). The visit was initiated by the Latvian presidency of NB8.

“During the Latvian presidency of the Council of the EU, a lot of attention was given to supporting Ukraine, which is actively engaged in a complex reform process, thus demonstrating its commitment to Euro-integration. The situation in Ukraine remains among the priorities on Latvia’s agenda,” the Deputy Speaker said. 

During the meeting, Lībiņa-Egnere stressed the necessity for Ukraine to continue with the reforms undertaken and also attested to the readiness of the parliament of Latvia to continue practical cooperation. On behalf of the European Affairs Committee of the Saeima, she invited the parliamentarians of Ukraine to visit the Saeima and get acquainted with the Committee’s work. 

The Deputy Speaker of the Saeima and other high-ranking officials of the NB8 parliaments also met with Oleksandr Turchynov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine who informed them about the current security situation in the country. In a meeting with the heads of the parliamentary groups of the Verkhovna Rada and MP groups, the visiting officials discussed the current political situation in Ukraine. 

From 1 until 3 February Inese Lībiņa-Egnere is on a joint visit to Ukraine with the highest-ranking officials of the parliaments of the NB8 countries. The NB8 format brings together five Nordic countries – Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Finland and Sweden – and the three Baltic States – Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia; it has been an active cooperation platform since the early 1990’s. Meetings of the prime ministers, parliamentarians, ministers and other officials of the participating countries take place on a regular basis in the framework of NB8. 

Photos from the meeting are available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/saeima/albums/72157663612263730
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Saeima Press Service