“We must reiterate today, again and again, as a mantra, that Crimea is Ukraine; that Russia's attempts to alter borders by military force are illegal; and that the crimes committed by Russia will not be swept under the carpet. They will be judged, and those responsible will be held accountable. Ukraine is not alone in this struggle for values, international law, and justice,” stated Daiga Mieriņa, Speaker of the Saeima, on Thursday, 24 October, while addressing participants at the third parliamentary summit of the International Crimea Platform. The summit, held in our capital to support Ukraine, brought together delegations from around 50 countries worldwide.
The Speaker of the Saeima emphasised that the international community's policy of non-recognition of the occupation of the Baltic States was invaluable in Latvia's journey towards restoring independence. “The policy of non-recognition of occupation encouraged Latvians not to give up and provided legitimacy to our struggle for independence. This is precisely the kind of encouragement and international legal framework that Ukraine and Ukrainians need today,” Mieriņa stated.
The Speaker of the Saeima urged the international community not to reconcile with Russian imperialism and stressed the responsibility of Russian society itself to address the crimes of this country, with particular emphasis on the segment of society that has found refuge in democratic states that respect freedom of expression.
“We must continue to shed light on Russia’s illegal occupation of Crimea and other Ukrainian territories, continue to shed light on the countless and systematic human rights violations, deportations, the displacement of children, forced changes in the population structure of the temporarily occupied territories, the repression of the Crimean Tatars and the militarisation of the occupied territories,” said Mieriņa, noting, inter alia, that otherwise impunity can encourage other potential aggressors. “Sustainable peace and security cannot be achieved without justice,” stressed the Speaker of the Saeima. “Everyone would experience the new world order in which brutal force and aggression can achieve one’s goals, whether in Europe, Africa, Asia, or the Americas,” stated Mieriņa.
The Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk, expressed gratitude to Latvia for its initiative in organising the summit, noting that our country understands well the deportation of the Crimean Tatars that occurred 80 years ago, as the Latvian people have also experienced repression and deportations. He stated that the occupation of Latvia, the deportation of the Crimean Tatars, and Russia’s aggression in Ukraine are all interconnected parts of the same chain. He emphasised that the evil that goes unpunished today will manifest in the future—it is merely a matter of time. The Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament asserted that Ukraine will not yield an inch of its territory and that the fight for Crimea is part of the struggle for Ukraine. Stefanchuk added that support for Ukraine also affects other countries and the future development of the world—whether we will tread the path of tyranny or protect justice and democracy.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, also addressed the event via video message. The Prime Minister, Evika Siliņa, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Baiba Braže, as well as the First Vice-Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, Nariman Dzhelyal, addressed parliamentarians in person.
The Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimean Platform in Riga is part of Latvia's comprehensive support to Ukraine and contribution to strengthening the rules-based international order. The Summit is organised by the Saeima in close cooperation with the Verkhovna Rada, the Parliament of Ukraine.
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Saeima Press Service