On Wednesday, 31 January, members of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the European Affairs Committee of the Saeima held a joint meeting with Mariia Mezentseva and Olena Khomenko, parliamentarians representing the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, to deliberate on the current situation in Ukraine and the return of Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia. 

The interests of children are the priority, and it is the task of us—the international community—to do everything in our power to ensure that every Ukrainian child kidnapped by Russia returns home safely to their family, asserted Zanda Kalniņa‑Lukaševica, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima and Head of the Latvian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), on Wednesday, 31 January, at the international conference "Kidnapped by Russia" held at the National Library of Latvia. 

Canada's decision to bolster its military presence in Latvia is an outstanding example of unity and solidarity among NATO allies. It is an important contribution not only to the security of the Baltic States, but to the security of Europe as a whole. It sends a clear message to Russia that NATO is determined to defend every inch of its territory, Daiga Mieriņa, Speaker of the Saeima, emphasised during a meeting with Greg Fergus, Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada, in Ottawa.

In parallel with strengthening NATO’s presence, our foreign policy prioritises a faster Ukraine’s victory and containment of Russia’s aggression. Today, the defence of the entire Europe begins on Ukrainian-Russian front line. Loud and clear. On Thursday, 25 January, this was emphasised by the Speaker of the Saeima Daiga Mieriņa in the annual foreign policy debate of the Saeima.

At the moment, every foreign policy issue is affected by the threat posed by Russia to European values, and the main goal is to ensure Ukraine’s victory and loss of Russia as soon as possible, said Edmunds Cepurītis, Chair of the European Affairs Committee of the Saeima, during the annual foreign policy debate held on Thursday, 25 January.

Ukraine must be admitted to NATO and the European Union, and there are no alternatives, said Rihards Kols, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Head of the Latvian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) on Thursday, 25 January, during the annual foreign policy debate in the Saeima. The Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee emphasised that the outcome of the war in Ukraine will determine the security of Europe, the United States and the world in the coming decades. Ukraine’s victory is important for the strengthening and prospering of democracy.

“We must in all possible ways contribute to the victory of justice over Russia in its war against Ukraine. Russia must be held accountable for its atrocities. In order to restore justice and dispel the feeling of impunity, the Russian frozen funds need to be redirected to the reconstruction of Ukraine. The issue of returning abducted children to home in Ukraine is fundamentally important," said Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima, Head of the Latvian Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, on Monday, 22 January, in a conversation with the newly elected President of the Assembly Theodoros Rousopoulos in Strasbourg, France.

Alarmed by the continuous brutal Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities and communities, the Presidium of the Baltic Assembly (BA) adopted on Friday, 19 January, a statement on supporting Ukraine until its complete victory. “We call for immediate efforts in Europe to ensure the complete victory of Ukraine following the Peace Formula of the country,” informed Jānis Vucāns, Vice-President of the Baltic Assembly and Head of the Latvian Delegation. 

On Thursday, 18 January, the Saeima adopted in the final reading amendments to the Law on Public Electronic Mass Media and Administration Thereof, according to which, from 1 January 2025, a single public media company entitled Latvian Public Media will be introduced as a result of merging the Latvian Television and Latvian Radio.

During a visit to Ukraine, the Speaker of the Saeima Daiga Mieriņa accompanied by a delegation of parliamentarians visited the Chernihiv Oblast to meet local residents and get acquainted with the reconstruction works that are being carried out in this northern region of Ukraine using the funds allocated by the Latvian state. Latvia continues to provide targeted support for the reconstruction of infrastructure damaged by the Russian invasion. This year our country has allocated 5.1 million euros to reconstruction of the region.