Today, it is the duty of every European politician to tirelessly continue reminding the world of the illegal occupation of Crimea, emphasised Daiga Mieriņa, the Speaker of the Saeima, on Monday, 24 November, at the Fourth Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform, which has gathered Members of Parliament from all over the world in Stockholm, Sweden. Speaker Mieriņa noted that each of us is currently bearing witness to the militarisation of the Crimean Peninsula.

At its meeting in Kiel, Germany, on Monday, 24 November the Standing Committee of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC) reaffirmed its unwavering solidarity with Ukraine, reports Jānis Vucāns, Head of the Latvian Delegation to the Baltic Assembly. The parliamentarians adopted a statement emphasising that Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity are inviolable, and that the rules-based international order must be upheld.

On Friday, 21 November, Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima, met with Michael A. Keller, University Librarian at Stanford University, and Amir Weiner, Associate Professor at the University’s School of Humanities and Sciences (Department of History), to discuss opportunities for cooperation between Latvian and Californian higher education institutions, particularly in the fields of science, research, digitalisation, and artificial intelligence.

“We are a strong and warm nation. We have an unwavering love for our country. And when the time comes to raise the flag together, all of us, each with our own story and experience, become one. Our country is not just a place on the map — it is who we are. As long as the love for our country lives within us, Latvia shall live as well,” said Daiga Mieriņa, Speaker of the Saeima, during the ceremonial sitting of the Saeima in honour of the 107th anniversary of the Proclamation of the Republic of Latvia, extending her gratitude to every Latvian because for us freedom is not just a word but a true value that we protect, nurture, and pass on to future generations.

The security, prosperity, and sustainability of the Baltic States depends on the cohesion and increasingly close cooperation between Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. “Transport connectivity is one of the pillars of regional unity, economic development, and security, and it must be enhanced,” emphasised Jānis Vucāns, President of the Baltic Assembly, during his address at the 44th Session of the Baltic Assembly on Friday, 14 November. During the Session, special attention was given to Baltic cooperation in defence, economy, education, culture, and science.

Cooperation among the Baltic States is excellent, and coordinated Baltic action with joint efforts at the European level make it possible to achieve significantly more. This was emphasised at the Saeima on Thursday, 13 November, by Daiga Mieriņa, Speaker of the Saeima of the Republic of Latvia, Lauri Hussar, President of the Riigikogu of the Republic of Estonia, and Juozas Olekas, Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania.

On Thursday, 13 November, Daiga Mieriņa, Speaker of the Saeima, welcomed Juozas Olekas, Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, at the Saeima to discuss the joint position of Latvia and Lithuania regarding support for Ukraine, as well as the close cooperation between both countries within the Baltic Sea region.

Latvian conductor Kaspars Putniņš has been awarded the Baltic Assembly Prize in the Arts. The prize was awarded to Putniņš for his performance with the Latvian Radio Choir in the concert programme Stream of Dreams, which took place on 31 March 2023 in the Great Hall of the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music as part of the Baltic Music Days. At the formal ceremony in Riga on Thursday, 13 November, the prize was received on his behalf by the Ilze Paidere-Staķe, Director of the Latvian Radio Choir.