On Thursday, 17 May, Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, met in Kramatorsk with Pavlo Zhebrivskyi, Head of the Donetsk Regional State Administration. The Speaker of the Saeima promised her host Latvia’s continued steadfast support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Zhebrivskyi thanked Speaker Mūrniece and the accompanying Members of the Saeima for their visit, emphasising its significance. “We do not feel abandoned to fend for ourselves against the aggressor,” Zhebrivskyi said.
When discussing the security and socio-economic situation in the Donetsk region, Zhebrivskyi especially thanked the people of Latvia for their support in treating the Ukrainian children injured in the conflict. Zhebrivskyi also noted that today the Donetsk region is one of the most active implementers of reforms in Ukraine, especially in the area of decentralisation. He also expressed appreciation for Latvia sharing its experience in agriculture. Zhebrivskyi attested that entrepreneurs from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions are interested in continuing this cooperation with Latvia.
Speaker Mūrniece saw the buildings destroyed during the conflict in Slavyansk, including the Slavyansk Paediatric Psycho-neurological Hospital, which was partially destroyed in 2014.
At the checkpoint in Mayorsk, which is located on the borderline with the separatist controlled area, the Speaker of the Saeima met with Ukrainian border guards and discussed issues related to the movement of civilians.
Speaker Mūrniece also met with Latvian representatives serving on the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine to learn about their work in the framework of the mission, the socio-economic and humanitarian situation in the region, and the challenges facing the region.
The Speaker of the Saeima is on an official visit to Ukraine until 18 May. She is accompanied by Ainārs Mežulis, Head of the Saeima Group for Interparliamentary Relations with Ukraine, and two members of the group – Aleksejs Loskutovs and Edvīns Šnore.
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Saeima Press Service