Latvia's Saeima has made a significant decision regarding its foreign policy activities, specifically concerning cooperation with other countries' parliaments.
What happened
The 15th Saeima, in an extraordinary session, chose not to establish parliamentary groups aimed at promoting cooperation with the parliaments of Russia and Belarus. This decision is based on the Saeima's stance that the Russian Federation's invasion of Ukraine and Belarus's role in allowing its territory to be used for aggression against Ukraine are gross violations of international law and obligations.
The Saeima emphasized that many deputies from the Russian State Duma and the National Assembly of Belarus are included in the European Union and United States' sanctions lists for supporting the annexation of Crimea and repression in Ukraine, among other reasons. As a result, the Saeima believes that forming cooperation groups with these parliaments would be incompatible with international law, norms, and democratic values.
Parliamentary groups for promoting cooperation with other countries' parliaments are a tool for the Saeima's foreign policy activities, facilitating the exchange of information, parliamentary experience, and interparliamentary dialogue. However, in the case of Russia and Belarus, the Saeima has decided against such cooperation due to their actions in Ukraine.
