The campaign for the election of the President of the Republic of Belarus, the voting on August 9, 2020, and the counting of votes do not meet international electoral standards. They were conducted with mass violations of the rights and freedoms of citizens and do not reflect the free will of the Belarusian people, pointed out Inese Lībiņa-Egnere, Head of the Latvian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on behalf of the delegation and other member states of the Baltic+ Group.

On Friday, 14 August, the Human Rights and Public Affairs Committee of the Saeima sent a letter to H.E. Vasily Markovich, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to the Republic of Latvia. In the letter, the Human Rights and Public Affairs Committee of the Saeima urges the Republic of Belarus to immediately discontinue and prevent violations of human rights, and to adhere to the Constitution.

The Latvian-Russian Peace Treaty, signed a century ago on 11 August, marked a turning point in the relationship between the two countries, irreversibly establishing Latvia’s place in the European geopolitical area, emphasised Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, in her address at the event held in Riga Castle commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Latvian-Russian Peace Treaty.

“In light of the current situation in Belarus, we reaffirm our unwavering support for the well-being and national sovereignty of the Belarusian people. We urge to engage in an open dialogue with the society on the long-awaited changes that the people of Belarus hold desirable and necessary,” stressed the Chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committees of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland in their joint statement on Tuesday, 11 August following the Belarusian presidential election.

The Belarusian election process and results, the visible presence of the military, arrests, and the suppression of peaceful protests dispel all illusions that the election was democratic, stated Rihards Kols, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Saeima, on Monday, 10 August, after the Committee meeting. Today, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Saeima held a meeting to discuss the situation in Belarus after the presidential election.

The Belarusian people have the right to freedom of choice choice and democratic election to express their will. The Belarusian authorities must refrain from violence, and they must respect their citizens’ human rights, namely, the freedom of speech and assembly, stressed Inese Ikstena, Head of the Latvian Delegation to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), on Monday, 10 August, after the Belarusian presidential election.

On Thursday, 23 July, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Saeima issued a statement, commemorating the 80th anniversary of  the Sumner Welles Declaration. The declaration, issued by Acting Secretary of State Sumner Welles on 23 July 1940, was an exceptional sign of our shared commitment to freedom, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, condemning the forced incorporation of the Baltic States into the Soviet Union. The Declaration served as the foundation of the United States’ five decade long non-recognition policy of the Soviet annexation and occupation of the Baltic States, as set out in the statement.

On Tuesday, July 21, the Saeima adopted in the final reading urgent amendments to the Law on the Management of the Spread of COVID-19 Infection. The amendments allow to revoke already issued or requested temporary residence permits and visas in case of foreigners violating the rules of isolation, self-isolation, institutional or home quarantine, as well as assembly restrictions.

On Thursday, 2 July, the Saeima adopted in the final reading the Law on International Schools, ensuring that children of persons employed in foreign and international organisations have access to general education, thus promoting international cooperation on educational matters.

On Thursday, 25 June, the Chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Parliaments of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia issued a joint resolution on the proposal submitted to the Russian State Duma to revoke and invalidate the resolution of the Congress of People’s Deputies of the USSR of 24 December 1989, which condemns the secret protocol of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. The position of the Chairs of Committees is that the proposal constitutes an attempt made by the Russian Federation to distort history.