“Russia's war against Ukraine is has a significant impact globally. It has a negative impact on food availability even in the most remote regions. Energy prices have risen considerably, and Russia’s acts have increased the number of people suffering from hunger and poverty in the world, with a significant negative impact on the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals,” said Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima and Head of the Latvian Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), addressing the Assembly's Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy, which unanimously decided to supplement the relevant report accordingly. The PACE session opened on Monday, 19 June, in Strasbourg, France.
During the session, MPs are to discuss the political consequences of the Russian-led war, the proposal to bar Russian and Belarusian athletes from the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, the challenges faced by Belarusians living in exile; they will also meet with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, leader of the Belarusian democracy movement.
On 20 June, the Assembly session participants will have the opportunity to discuss the issues on the agenda with Edgars Rinkēvičs, Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chair of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
During the week, Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica will also meet Nordic and Baltic delegations in Strasbourg to discuss the issues and reports to be considered at the session. The Head of the Latvian delegation is also meeting today with the delegation of the observer country Canada to discuss the security situation and preparations for the NATO Summit in Vilnius in July. “Latvia highly appreciates the professionalism and commitment of the Canadian troops deployed in Latvia. At this time, allies need to support one another and Ukraine together, which is why the upcoming NATO Summit in Vilnius should decide on even stronger support for Ukraine,” said Kalniņa-Lukaševica.
The summer session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which brings together parliamentarians from 46 countries, is taking place in Strasbourg from 19 to 23 June. Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, Head of the Latvian delegation; Normunds Dzintars, Deputy Head of the delegation; permanent representative Ieva Brante, and substitute representatives Andris Bērziņš, Edmunds Cepurītis, and Ričards Šlesers are participating in the session.
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Saeima Press Service